


Brooklyn

by snowcake



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Gen, Kidfic, M/M, Panic Attacks, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-14 13:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5744812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowcake/pseuds/snowcake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a Hydra base raid, Bucky finds out that HYDRA has been trying to breed their own super soldier using his DNA. It wouldn't have been much of a problem if it were a full grown soldier; not a seemingly harmless little girl who was somehow attached to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted a winterhawk kidfic.

When Bucky was finally trusted by SHIELD to go on a mission to raid a Hydra base, he did not expect a lady to shove a child into his arms and ask him to run.

The team split up and he took the route to the basement where the labs were located. Some of the paraphernalia were familiar: the memory wiping machine, the instruments they used on him to keep him in check, and equipment used to test his abilities. He was in the brink of having a panic attack when he spotted a lady in a lab coat covered in blood and in her arms was an unconscious little girl clad in a hospital gown. She was running towards him, her eyes wide. Hydra agents were on her tail, shooting at her. He raised his hand and shot back at them.

Just as the woman was a foot away from him, she dropped to her knees. Bucky tried to help her up but she pushed him away and passed the child to him along with a clip board. “T-take her and run. P-please...” she managed to say before getting shot on the back a couple times. He held the kid against his chest with one arm and shot at the agents with the other.

The place started to shake.

“Bucky, where are you? The place is about to blow! Get back to the quinjet!” he heard Steve say through the comm.

“Basement. I found something” he replied and ran.

When he got back to the quinjet, he placed the little girl down then handed the clipboard to Steve. Natasha looked at the board over his shoulder and they faced Bucky.

Natasha spoke first, “where’d you find her?”

“She was handed to me by some doctor. Asked me to take her. They were in the lab. Were probably using this little girl as a test subject...” Bucky mumbled as he leaned back on the wall. He looked at the little girl and took in the amount of wounds on her arms, her legs, and her face. Her hair was a mess and she was covered in sweat, it was as if she had been fighting.

He hoped he was wrong about what he thought she was.

But the universe loved to mess with him.

During the debriefing hours later, they reviewed the file the doctor handed to him. She was five years old. Her file was under the name: bklyn-09test2a. She was a healthy kid but she had an injury, an impact directly to her head that was still being observed.

“Apparently the kid has been under observation for five years. Based on the limited facts which were collected before the base collapsed, the child is a result of an experiment to breed their own super soldier. They took what they have from The Winter Soldier as a part of the DNA and what remains from their version of the serum to create the test subject. Other content from the clipboard were unreadable due to the blood stains” Maria Hill explained.

“So you’re saying... that’s... she’s... Bucky’s daughter?” Steve voiced out. Amusement laced his voice.

Bucky turned to glare at him, “are you serious right now?” he growled.

“If you put it that way, yes... biologically” Hill replied.

Natasha furrowed her brows and commented, “Hydra’s getting smart. They’re breeding their own set of super soldiers”. Hill hummed in agreement.

“Why start from scratch?” Steve spoke again.

“It’s like the Red Room. Mould the child so she grows up knowing only what you teach her. Besides, who would suspect a little girl?” Natasha pointed out.

Their conversation was interrupted by a call on Hill’s comm. She turned to the team. “The kid’s awake and appears hostile” she announced before leaving the room, the rest of the team followed close behind her.

They arrived at the clinic where she was being held and saw three agents trying to hold down a little girl in the hallway. She slipped through their grasp and knocked each one unconscious. Bucky went in along with more agents. He caught her while she was distracted and held her.

As soon as she realized who was holding her, the girl went stiff in his arms. He carried her back into the clinic and sat her down the bed. He sat on the edge and sighed. A five year old girl just took down a group of highly trained agents. Hydra was definitely bringing up the level of their inhumanity.

Steve leaned on the doorframe and stared at him, “what do we do now?” he asked.

Bucky looked at the girl and shrugged his shoulders. He looked back up at Steve who was about to say something but Bucky immediately shook his head. “NO. I know that look. I know what you’re about to say Steve. No, definitely not” he said.

“What? I’m not even saying anything yet”

“You want me to take her”

“That’s not- I’m just- she’s yours!”

“No.”

Bucky got up and left the room, roughly shoving his shoulder against Steve’s as he passed by him. Steve sighed and turned to follow him.

“Bucky, listen-“

Steve stopped when Bucky faced him abruptly. “STEVE. It took SHIELD months before they could trust me to go on missions! What makes you think I can take care of a child?” frustration evident in his face.

“That kid is no ordinary child. She’s an experiment. You saw how she moved; she was being trained to become their weapon. You of all people would know how she feels”, Steve paused. Bucky stared at him, his forehead scrunched. Steve continued, “What is SHIELD supposed to do with her if you leave her here? Send her to an orphanage? Give her to a place where nobody understands why she acts the way she does? Or worse, let them raise her here and use her for her original purpose?”

Bucky shook his head and turned around, leaving Steve without another word.

\---

The girl remained unresponsive and simply glared at everyone who dared come near her. She barely touched anything they gave her. She just sat on her hospital bed and watched the people coming in and out of her room or passed by the window to the corridor.

Since then, Bucky stuck around SHIELD in case she went haywire and attacked people (at least that’s what he tells himself). He’d lurk through the corridor just to keep an eye on her. She had noticed him, of course, but she would merely stare at him. She never hinted at moving towards him at all. When he’d be out of her view, however, she’d start looking for him.

Bucky stood on the hallway and watched her through the door. The little girl was observing the nurse and the doctor who came in to conduct a check-up. Bucky saw the doctor grab the nurse’s behind. The nurse gasped and raised her hand to slap the doctor but before she could do that, the doctor was on the floor. The little girl sat on his chest and punched his face repeatedly. Bucky quickly entered the room and pulled the kid off him.

“Tranquilize her! The little freak is hostile” the doctor yelled as he held his broken nose. Bucky scoffed at him, “Yeah and you weren’t being a pervert” he said sarcastically. The doctor got up and left.

The girl looked at him with wide eyes. He looked down at her and forced a small smile. She looked away but clung to his shirt.

He placed her back down and observed as the nurse did the necessary checks. He wasn’t sure what he was doing. Why was he even hanging around her? Has what Steve said affecting him?

The nurse brought out a syringe and stretched out the girl’s arm. As soon as the needle pricked her, she grabbed the nurse’s wrist and pulled it back. Bucky intervened. He held the girl’s hand and she let go of the nurse’s. “Don’t” he simply said and the nurse hurriedly put the thing away. The nurse scurried out of the room, leaving Bucky and the girl alone.

“Do you have a name?” Bucky asked her as he took a seat on a stool across the hospital bed. The girl didn’t respond. “What’s your name?” he moved closer and spoke a little louder. This time, the girl lifted her hand, showing him the tag wrapped around her wrist.

_HYDRA FILE: bklyn-09test2a_

His chest tightened at that. She had no real identity. To the people who made her, she was just another experiment, a file. Just like how he used to be called the ‘asset’; brought out when needed and frozen for storage when not. He looked at the girl again. He couldn’t possibly let the poor girl experience that. But what would he do with her? Raise her? He couldn’t do that. Not when he still isn’t perfectly stable.

Bucky ran a hand through his hair. Then panic started to swell in his chest. What was he supposed to do now? He can’t leave her but he can’t have her either. If he took her in, she’s in just as much danger. What if he accidentally hurt her during one of his attacks? What if he killed her in her sleep? What if he forgot about her? But if he left her with SHIELD, they might use her as a weapon. What if they treat her just as harshly as Hydra? What if he left her with them and she becomes just like him? He wouldn’t forgive himself if they did because he could have helped her avoid that.

Suddenly air wasn’t enough in the room. His heart was pounding and his head was being bombarded by unwelcomed thoughts. Bucky got up and ran out. He got to the basement and ran to the back of the building. His hand shook as he grabbed a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag then leaned on the wall. He slid to sit on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut.

“smoke”

Bucky opened his eyes and looked to his side. The little girl was standing a foot away from him.

“You speak.” Bucky replied. He pressed his cigarette to the ground and stood up. “Go back inside before they realize you’re missing” he told her but the kid remained still; her gaze not leaving his face. Bucky ignored the way she looked at him and walked. He could feel her following him but her footsteps were incredibly light he’d barely notice her. He stood beside his motorcycle then turned around. The little girl was still following him.

“Go back,” he sighed, “I’m not taking you with me”. He hopped onto his motorcycle and revved it up. He put on his helmet then drove away. He looked at the mirror and saw the child standing there, watching him leave.

Sometimes Bucky wished he kept the apathy of the Winter Soldier.

 

\---

 

Bucky returned to the Avengers tower with the kid holding his hand.

Now what?

Feeling his stomach rumble, he headed to the communal floor then to the kitchen. He carried the girl onto one of the barstools of the kitchen island. Bucky stared at the contents of the fridge then moved to the cabinets over the counter. He found cereal and shrugged. He grabbed a bowl, poured cereal in, grabbed a milk carton from the fridge, placed a decent amount in the bowl then pushed it towards the kid. He handed her a spoon. She didn’t take it. She simply stared at it.

“It’s safe. You have to eat. You haven’t eaten since you woke up” he spoke lowly and shook the spoon, urging her to take it. He groaned when she didn’t react differently.

“Hello to you too, grumpy”

The two faced the elevator where the voice came from. Clint stopped in his tracks when he saw the kid. His eyes moved from Bucky to the kid then at Bucky again. He slowly pointed at the kid, “uhh... there is a kid in a hospital gown sitting right there. Why?” he said.

“She followed me home...” Bucky returned his attention to trying to feed the little girl. He looked up at the man when he didn’t hear a response, “it’s a long story” he explained. Clint clasped a hand over his mouth then went to sit beside the kid. He chuckled. “Oh shit, Barnes. Is she yours?!” he said.

Bucky glared at him. The little girl stared up at Clint. She had her eyes on the side of his face. “She doesn’t look like she wants to eat...” Bucky sighed. He dropped the spoon into the bowl and pushed it towards Clint. The man grabbed the bowl then turned to the kid, “you sure I can have this?” The girl pointed at him and it baffled the two guys. They shared a look then turned to the kid.

When she moved her hands in a way Clint understood, he pulled out his hearing aid and handed it to her. Clint motioned that it won’t fit her and he asked for it back but the kid kicked his chair before jumping off hers and running away. Bucky immediately ran after her. He wrapped his metal arm around her middle keeping her steady against his side.

“She’s deaf?” Bucky mumbled in confusion, “but she heard me earlier and she spoke”. Clint’s shirt was covered in milk and cereal when he walked towards them. He bent to the girl’s level and tried to get his hearing aid but the kid kicked his stomach. He staggered back, holding on to where she kicked him.

“Well...she’s definitely yours” he coughed. “If she could hear you before, chances are she’s only partially deaf or she just knows ASL. You should have that checked just in case” Clint explained.  “What’s the little monster’s name?” Bucky shrugged his shoulders. “How could a child not have a name?”

\---

Later on, they were sat on the conversation pit with the girl asleep on Bucky’s lap, her head on his chest as he told Clint what happened when the elevator doors dinged open and Steve and Tony came out arguing about something.

They turned to the pit with questioning looks.

“Why is Barton laugh- ARE YOU HOLDING A CHILD, BARNES?” Tony exclaimed then shuffled towards the conversation pit. Steve was right on his heels. “You took her home” Steve softly said.

“She basically begged me to” Bucky replied.

Clint has stopped laughing and was laid down on his seat, “It’s not like this place ever gets boring. I mean, we’ve got a hulk, a god, Tony, two men out of their time, a former assassin and me. Plus we’re all superheroes... what could go wrong with adding a baby super soldier?” he commented.

“She’s not staying” Bucky scowled.

“What? Why’d you take her home then?” Clint spoke up.

“She FOLLOWED me home. I’ll take her back to SHIELD tomorrow”

Steve leaned on the back of the seat and patted the girl’s head softly, “and then what? Hang around there to keep an eye on her again?”

A blush crept on Bucky’s cheeks as he glowered at him.

“Tony doesn’t mind having the kid in the tower, do you?” Steve faced Tony as he spoke. Tony made a face but Steve stared him down.

“Y-yeah. It’s totally cool. As long as she stays on your floor”

“See. Mom and Dad approves” Clint sat up and pointed at them.

“The fuck are you talking about Barton?” Tony spat.

“Oh please. You and Cap aren’t exactly being subtle...”

The girl stirred in Bucky’s arms, interrupting Tony before he could retort. Bucky patted her back and got up. “I’ll deal with this in the morning...”

“It’s only six”

“Yeah and you three are already being a problem” Bucky entered the elevator and headed to his floor. He went to the extra room and placed the girl down. She stirred as he tucked her in but immediately went back to sleeping peacefully.  He tapped the bed then got up.

He lied in his own bed, thinking of nothing and everything. Tony forbade smoking in the tower but his fingers itched to grab the box in his jacket pocket. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. He focused on the way his chest rose and deflated with every breath he took just as he taught Steve decades ago. His panic was starting to subside when a loud screech brought him to his feet. He ran to the extra room and found the little girl fighting against nothing. She was breathing hard and flailing her limbs as if trying to get away from people who weren’t there. Bucky immediately went to her side and held her shoulders.

“Wake up! Hey! HEY!” he yelled as he shook her. She continued to fight against him. She swung her fist up, socking him straight on the jaw but he didn’t flinch. He tried to hold her limbs down but it only made her more aggressive. Then he remembered something a certain blond did when he had his nightmares.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. He rubbed her back and hummed a tune he’s heard Natasha sing to herself when she’s idle. Her flailing died down but she began sobbing against him.

“You’re gonna be alright now. Nobody’s gonna hurt you...”he whispered into her hair and the girl took a shaky breath. She pushed him away and harshly wiped her tears. “No crying” she hiccupped then hit her head repeatedly. Bucky swiftly grabbed her wrist. “Don’t do that” he quietly spoke. He placed his hands on the sides of her face and made her look up at him. The girl kept her gaze low.

“Look at me” he instructed. She did; but fear reflected in her eyes. Her eyes resembled his far too much for his liking. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t an order and she didn’t have to look if she didn’t want to; but she needed to trust him if she was going to stay. “It’s okay to cry. It’s totally okay to cry and I don’t want you hitting yourself like that when you do. Do you understand?” he said. The girl nodded. Instead of giving in to her tears like he expected, the little girl slid under her covers and turned her back on him.

Bucky sighed. This was even more complicated than how he originally expected it to be. This girl was already almost as messed up as him and she doesn’t even know how to speak complete sentences yet.

The rest of the night was fairly peaceful as he slept on the armchair in the corner of the room.

 ---

When he woke up the next morning, the little girl was already up fixing her bed. He stretched his back and she turned her attention to him. She stood straight like a soldier waiting for orders. It hurt Bucky to see her more like a robot than a child. He stood up and walked to her.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. The girl didn’t respond but her stomach growled. Bucky went to his closet and pulled out one of his shirts. He handed it to her.

“We have to get you some clothes” he said as he helped her into the shirt. He was about to take off her wrist band when she shied away from him. “Alright,  you keep that”.

They headed to the communal area for mandatory team breakfast as Tony liked to call it. The Avengers were already gathered around the dining table taking their respective seats when Bucky arrived. They looked at him and waved him over. The girl tightened her grip on Bucky’s shirt at the sight of them. He patted her hand and whispered, “it’s alright. They won’t hurt you”. Bucky took his seat beside Clint and placed the little girl on his lap.

“So... how’s the little one doing?” Steve asked as he passed a plate of pancakes to Thor.

Bucky looked down at her then on the table. He placed bacons on his plate then waffles on hers, “Nightmares. But she’s alright. She’s tough” he said.

A finger gently tapped at the girl’s shoulder. “Just like her daddy” Clint said with a grin. Bucky turned to glare at him, only to see him signing for the girl to eat.

“When is she going to get a name then?” Natasha spoke into her coffee.

“I don’t know. It’s her choice, I guess”

“She IS staying, right?”

Everybody was staring at him now. The pressure filled Bucky’s lungs. He focused on eating, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to tell everyone to mind their own business. Just then the little girl tapped his arm. He looked at her. She pointed at Clint then to her ear.

“I... I need help” he grumpily mumbled. A smile settled on Steve’s lips as he drank his coffee.

“Anything for the child of our colleague!”, Thor announced. Bruce nodded.

Bucky took a gulp of orange juice before saying, “She’s... we think she’s deaf in one ear. She can hear me but sometimes she’s unresponsive”

“Took my hearing aid yesterday too” Clint chipped in.

“I can check, if you want” Bruce offered.

“And I can make her a really cool ear piece, no problem” Tony added. Bucky couldn’t be more thankful to finally have friends.

 

\---

 

After breakfast, they headed to Bruce’s lab to check the girl’s ear.

“It looks like she had a head injury resulting to damage in her ear,” Bruce explained, “I’m surprised SHIELD hasn’t caught up with that”

“I wasn’t exactly informed about her besides the fact that she’s partially mine and has traces of the serum”

“shouldn’t she be indestructible then? Her injuries shouldn’t take long to heal...”

“I guess their version isn’t perfect” Bucky replied. He looked back at the girl sitting on the table against the wall who was comfortably signing to Clint.

Natasha was sitting across them with a book in hand. She slid her marker in, looked at her phone, then turned to them. “It’s SHIELD” she informed , “said the kid has escaped. I told them you took her.” she informed.

“I didn’t TAKE her. She FOLLOWED me” Bucky rubbed his face with his metal hand, “I didn’t force her to do anything”

“But you got her from SHIELD without permission. It kinda counts” Bruce tapped at his clipboard then returned to his computer.

“Fine, I’ll go there after this” Bucky sighed.

“She needs a name” Tony’s voice resounded in the room as he strode into Bruce’s lab. “Hey Brucey I need help with this thing” he said, completely ignoring the other Avengers as if he hadn’t said anything.

“Yep...” Clint commented, “little girl doesn’t seem too comfortable being addressed as such”

“Jane?” “Natalie?” “Stephanie?” “Bucky jr” “The Winter Child” “Winter” “Antoinette”

The team started blurting out names and Bucky was getting agitated. He took a deep breath, ready to tell them to stop, but the girl beat him to it.

“SHUT UP” she yelled. Her eyes went wide, recognizing what she just did. She started hitting her mouth hard. She pushed herself towards the wall and was hitting her head again.

Clint grabbed her hand to stop her but her strength was too much for him. She ended up hitting him on the chin. He let her go and Bucky immediately took over. He forced the girl to stop and look at him just like the previous night.

“You’ve got to stop doing that. STOP! STOP IT!” he told her. She dropped her hands, pursed her lips and tried to even out her breathing. Her eyes were red and glassy as her nostrils flared.

Everyone stared at them.

Bucky patted her sandy blonde angel curls with his right hand, “i told you, it’s okay to cry”. The girl remained stone faced. “Not weak” she uttered. Natasha walked up to her and Bucky watched the woman interact with the girl. “Hey” she quietly spoke, “I’m Natasha. I’m his friend” she said with her hands mimicking her words, “he’s right you know. He cried a lot when he first came here and Steve had to take care of him”. Bucky was about to deny it when the little girl looked at him. As much as he hated it, he had to nod. He never wanted to admit it but if it helped her feel comfortable being human then he was going to have to swallow his pride. Once her attention was back to Natasha, Bucky let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“So what name do you want?” Natasha asked her. The little girl raised her hand to show the band on her wrist. “ _HYDRA FILE: bklyn-09test2a”_ Nat read out loud.

“We are not calling her Hydra, are we?” Clint commented. The group hummed in agreement.

“B.K.L.Y.N.?” “Beccalyn?” “Buckylin!”

“Brooklyn” Bucky stated. The little girl turned to him. “You like that, huh? Brooklyn?” he asked her. The reluctant nod the girl did was enough to answer him.

“Alright, tiny New Yorker... “ Tony began, “let me see your ear so we can fix your hearing aid” he moved towards her. She straightened up, obviously guarded.

“It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you” Natasha signed.  The girl let Tony come near her. He was only able to pat her ear with a device before she went off again and tried to kick him. Luckily, Bucky was quick enough to not let her reach Tony.

“That’s Tony. He makes things. He’ll make your hearing aid. He’s just going to check your ear like Bruce did,” Bucky calmly told her. She turned to Tony who smiled at her. She looked at Bucky. Bucky nodded and so did she.

 

\---

 

“Should I take her?” Bucky thought out loud as he sat on the steps to the pit and put his shoes on. Clint was sitting in the conversation pit with Brooklyn, watching TV.

“I can keep her busy for a while, go on” Clint replied, his attention still on the screen. Brooklyn looked to Bucky and quickly got up. She ran to him and held his arm tight. “No” she said. She then tried to pull him back into the pit. Her grip was tight and her pull was strong. He sat tight.

“Looks like we can’t do that” Bucky sighed. He wrapped an arm behind her knees and stood up, taking her with him. He bent down and picked up her shoes.

“I can come with, if you want” Clint offered.

“I can handle this, thanks”

They headed to SHIELD HQ. Neither Hill nor Coulson were happy to see him. Bucky led Brooklyn to the room she used to stay in and knelt before her, “Stay here, okay. I’ll be right back” he said.

Brooklyn kept her grip tight on Bucky’s sleeve. The man laid his flesh hand over hers and gave a genuine smile, “It’s going to be okay” he told her. Her hold loosened and he stood up and walked out the door. Bucky headed into the office where Hill was.

“You do understand, Agent Barnes, that you are not responsible for the kid just because you’re blood related” Hill said to him after he sat down, “she will be transferred to an orphanage once we’ve cleared up that aside from the serum, she is pretty normal”.

A heavy weight built up in Bucky’s stomach. He can’t just let them take her. She’s just beginning to trust him. And if the night before was any indication, this kid can’t just fit into some orphanage with other kids.

“I don’t think that’s the best for her”

“You think YOU’RE the best for her?” Hill interjected.

“I’m not saying that. I’m just... let me keep her for now. She needs someone who understands her”

“We have contact with the best child psychologists. We can-“

“And what exactly to do you tell them? That there is a child born from an experiment, who was probably abused and is now up for adoption?” Bucky’s heartbeat began to race. He’s not exactly sure of what’s he’s doing but he knew it’s better than what they were going to do.

“If you take her in, she’s your responsibility Agent Barnes”

“Fine. Fine!”

“I understand that you feel bad for her, but we can take care of her”

“So can I. I can prove it to you” Bucky walked out of the office and went to the room Brooklyn occupied. Two guards were standing outside the room. He could see her through the door window sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, her head hung, and shoulders low. He stepped towards the door and placed a hand on the door knob. He could walk away. He could leave her there and let SHIELD deal with her. He could just forget it ever happened.

He looked through the window and saw Brooklyn look up at him, her eyes bright with anticipation and relief when she saw him. All his worries faded. He turned the doorknob and entered the room. Brooklyn jumped off the bed and waited for him to motion for her to go near him before she did.

“Let’s go back to the tower” he said to her and she just nodded. When he turned around, Hill was at the door.

“You do understand the weight of this responsibility, Agent Barnes?” she said, more to the clipboard she was holding than to him.

“Yes” he said firmly.

Maria Hill looked at him directly in the eyes and then back to the clipboard, “We will need to keep track of her. A schedule will be sent to you regarding check-ups among other things. If she does not pass them, I suggest taking her away from your care. She would need to be back here in a couple weeks. Do we have an agreement?” she said.

Bucky remained unfazed and kept his stance, “I understand” he said. He then looked down at the little girl and opened his hand. She looked at his hand. “It’s alright,” he told her, “it’ll be easier to walk with you if you hold my hand so we don’t get separated. But you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable doing so”. Brooklyn looked up at him then to his hand before placing her hand in it.

“We’ll see you in a few weeks then Agent Hill” he said as they left.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's not sure if he should keep Brooklyn and SHIELD is trying to make that decision for him

The sun shone through the blinds waking Bucky far earlier than he wished. He’s spent most of the night and part of the morning between his thoughts and dealing with Brooklyn’s nightmares. He looked down at the little girl curled up on his side, snuggling into his chest. He let out a breath and ran his hand through her hair. Since he’d let her be more open with expressing herself, she hadn’t let him sleep away from her. He’s been more cautious sleeping since; only barely snoozing when he could.

A couple weeks had passed and Brooklyn has slowly warmed up to life within the tower. She had become comfortable with her name quick and enjoyed hearing the Avengers call her by it. The idea that she finally had her own identity gave the kid comfort in a new place.

Bucky pulled his hand away when he saw Brooklyn’s forehead scrunch. Brooklyn slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. “Hey... go wash up then head to team breakfast” he told her. Brooklyn nodded before heading to the bathroom.

Bucky lied back on the bed and threw his arm over his eyes. He’s not ready for this. He’s not ready for anything at all; not the life working for SHIELD, not living with Steve’s new dysfunctional family, not a daughter who’s emotionally dependent on him. His heart rate raised again, thoughts rushed through his head, and he couldn’t quite breathe properly. He squeezed his eyes close trying to calm himself down.

“You’ll be okay, you’re gon’ be okay” he heard Brooklyn’s small voice beside him. Her small hand reached up to his chest and patted him. He lifted his arm to look at her beneath it. “Thank you” he told her. She tapped his arm over his face and said, “Stay?” Bucky shook his head.

He extended his hand to her and she gladly pulled him up. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed her hearing aid from the bedside table. She settled between his legs and he tucked her hair back. He placed the device on her ear and she quickly turned to him, “breakfast” she said. “Okay, okay, go ahead. I’ll follow, go on...” he said. She stepped forward reluctantly so Bucky gave her a bit of a push, “Save me a seat and don’t let Clint get all the waffles”.  But she stayed in place and shook her head.

Bucky rubbed his face before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

When they got to the communal floor, he saw the team gathered around the table, each minding their own business. Tony was tapping away on his phone, Cap was reading the morning paper, Thor was focused on devouring the contents of his plate, Bruce seemed to be falling asleep into his coffee, and Natasha was absently nibbling on a piece of bread as she read her book. Clint was poking at his waffles when he noticed them. He smiled wide at the two walking towards them. A twist in Bucky’s stomach stopped him mid-step and he could feel his chest tighten.

What?

“Hey they’re up!” Clint commented as Bucky casually walked to his seat. Brooklyn immediately crawled onto his lap. Clint patted the girl’s head and went, “kiddo, you gotta learn to take your own seat so daddy can eat in peace”.

“Can you not call me that?” Bucky growled.

Clint moved back and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oooh, someone’s a little cranky” Tony commented without taking his attention away from the phone. Steve put down the newspaper and looked at Bucky. Brooklyn patted Bucky’s cheek and he looked down at her. “Yeah?” he spoke softer to her. “Eat” she simply said and handed him the spoon.

“Wow James, you’re finally following orders” Natasha uttered. Bucky shook his head and focused on eating.

“So... what’s the team up to today?” Clint spoke up. He turned to everyone before digging back into his waffles.

“Jane will drop by Dr. Banner’s office today. I shall spend my time there as well” Thor announced. Bruce simply pointed at him and nodded. Natasha closed her book and got up, “needed at SHIELD today”. “Well... I’m not doing much. Might drop by Sam’s support group” Steve commented and Tony’s face scrunched to a pout causing Clint to chuckle. “Well, Cap, do you want to spar then? Been feeling like I need practice lately” he said. Tony’s pout was now directed at him.

“Meet you in the gym in an hour” Steve replied. He folded his newspaper, grabbed his plate, and got up. “Tony’s cleaning up today” he said as he placed his plate on the sink then left.

“Having a lover’s quarrel, are we?” Clint teased. Tony rolled his eyes and grunted. “He’s mad at me coz I took his shield without his permission... I wanted to upgrade it!” he explained when the other team members stared at him.

“You didn’t deny that you two were having a lovers’ quarrel”

“Shut up Barton or I’m gonna squeal on your little crush on Barnes- oops!”

“Does Cap know you’re head over heels for him? How long are you gonna keep that a not-so secret?”

The exchange dragged on until the only people left on the table were Clint, Tony, Bucky, and Brooklyn. The little girl was busy finishing her waffles. Bucky wanted to get out of there but he didn’t like rushing Brooklyn, afraid that she’d panic and everything they’ve worked towards would crash. But the things Tony was saying were getting to him.

“Will you two not do that today?”

Bucky’s voice was a lot softer and less grumpy than he intended but he couldn’t care less. He was done with today and it only started. Clint looked at him and recognized the look. He got up and placed his plate in the sink. “Whatever man, I’ll be with Cap at the gym if you need me” he said then left.

Tony sighed. He got up and placed his own plate on top of the others’. “Do you guys wanna help me out?” he grinned at Bucky and Brooklyn.

“Go help Tony put them in the washer, Brook” Bucky mumbled. Brooklyn nodded and grabbed their plates. She handed them over to Tony to get the leftover crumbs off. The kid was obedient and enjoyed helping the Avengers with trivial things. She preferred helping out instead of playing with toys she didn’t understand.

Bucky stayed on his seat, watching his daughter observing what Tony was doing. Once Tony was done placing the dishes in the washer and putting away the leftovers, he sat across Bucky.

“So... what are your plans, Barnes? Pre-school? I can help. We can get your little princess in the best school possible. What else do you need?” Tony offered with a smile. Bucky squinted suspiciously at him. “What do you want?” he said. “What? Can’t I be a good uncle or something? C’mon!” gasped Tony in faux horror. Brooklyn sat on Clint’s seat and watched the two guys staring at each other.

“Seriously, what do you want?”

“I do have a heart you know. The kid’s stole it with her angel curls and smile that appears more often than yours”

“Stark”

“Look. I just wanted to fix Cap’s shield. He took it before I was finished. I just need you to sneak it back to the lab for an hour or two”

“You ask him yourself. Steve can’t resist you. C’mon Brooklyn...” Bucky got up and so did Brooklyn. She followed him to the elevator. “Wait! What do you mean he can’t-“Tony began to say when the elevator doors closed.

Brooklyn slipped her small hand in his flash hand and she looked at him with a smile. “Where are we going today?” she asked.

Bucky looked back at her and his chest felt tight. He’s supposed to bring her back to SHIELD that day. It’s the day they decided if she’s fit to stay with him or not. And it made him nervous.

“W-what are we doing today?” The small voice of Brooklyn had never been so unsure to say anything. Bucky squatted beside her and made her face him.

“W-we... uh... we’re going to headquarters today and you have to see the doctors, okay?” he said.

“Bruce?”

“No, sweetheart, not Bruce. They’re the doctors at SHIELD. They’re going to see if you’re healthy and ask you questions. Don’t worry. I’ll be right with you” Brooklyn tightened her hold on Bucky’s hand then nodded.

They went back to their apartment and Bucky led Brooklyn to the closet filled with clothes given to her by the other Avengers.

The little girl picked out a white shirt with a purple target in the middle then headed to the bathroom with her things.

Bucky grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet and laid it on the back of the armchair. He sat on the corner of the bed and watched the closed bathroom door. He’s pretty thankful that Hydra taught the girl basic hygiene at an early age. He couldn’t imagine himself having to deal with that.

He laid his elbows on his knees and dug his face into his hands. He was scared, to say the least. Taking care of Brooklyn wasn’t like taking care of Steve. This was a kid, his kid, his daughter. She was going to depend on him for a lot of things. She’s a person whom he can’t just up and leave. Can he really fulfil all that?  

There was a knock on the front door and Bucky got up to answer it. He opened it and saw a teddy bear dressed up as the Winter Soldier held over the person’s face. The man put it down and smiled sheepishly at him.

“What do you want Clint?” Bucky rolled his eyes as he spoke.

Clint pushed the door aside and stepped into the place. “I’m not here for you. Where’s Brooklyn?” he said.

Bucky went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, “bathroom. We’re heading to SHIELD today”

“Yeah?” Clint mumbled as he sat on the bar stool in the kitchen island. “What for?”

“check up... judgment day...”

“Compared to how she was when she arrived at HQ, she’s doing much better now. You have nothing to worry about” Clint was smiling at him and Bucky’s stomach flipped.

 Besides Steve, Clint has been the person he’d been comfortable being around with since he moved into the tower. The blond didn’t treat him like a threat, never was cautious when he was in the room, didn’t care that Bucky could lose his temper and just stab him, Clint treated him like he treated the other Avengers and although Bucky found him slightly annoying, he was more than happy to have him around.

But to like him more than he should? Bucky would never admit that. It doesn’t matter that he’d been feeling it for months now.

“Clint” Brooklyn spoke from the bedroom door. Clint got up and squatted on the floor. “Hey little lady!” he spoke softly, his hands following his words, “Look what I got you!”

Brooklyn walked up to him with a smile on her face.

Clint pulled the Bucky Bear from behind him and Brooklyn’s face was more confused than excited.

“You don’t like it?” Clint frowned. Bucky stifled a laugh.

Brooklyn looked from the bear to Clint then back, “what is it for?”

Clint’s frown turned into a sad smile. It wasn’t that Brooklyn didn’t appreciate it. She just didn’t understand it. He gently placed the bear in her arms and he placed his hands on her upper arms.

“Whenever you feel scared or alone, it’ll protect you” he explained.

The little girl turned the bear to face her, “how?” she turned and inspected it, “no weapons”

Bucky watched them. He was feeling a little sad for the guy. He just wanted to give the little girl a gift but ended up like this. Bucky couldn’t quite believe how much patience Clint had for her.

“You know that comfortable feeling when you wake up from a bad dream and Bucky’s right there” Clint spoke, eyes concentrated on Brooklyn. The little girl looked up at Bucky then returned her attention to the man in front of her as he began speaking again. “This can give you that. Every time you feel bad just hold it close to you and think of Bucky or me or whoever you like and we’ll be right there with you” Clint’s voice was soft as Brooklyn looked at the bear. Clint quickly got up and smiled as his right hand massaged the back of his neck. Bucky knew that smile. That forced smile when Clint was holding his tears.

“Well... I’ll let you two get to your business then” he spoke, his voice cracking a bit at the end.

Bucky placed his cup down on the counter and watched as Clint walked towards the door. An idea popped up in Bucky’s head and he knew it wasn’t going to be a good idea. He swallowed hard and mentally kicked himself but he decided to say it anyway, “why don’t you come with us? Brooklyn would like that. Won’t you, sweetie?” Bucky said softly.

Clint looked back and saw Brooklyn nodding. “O-okay then” he replied with a smile.

Brooklyn smiled and walked up to Clint. “Thank you” she said and held her hands up to him. He took this as a sign to bend down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he squatted down to hold her against him.

Bucky took that moment to leave them and get ready to go.

\---

They arrived at HQ half an hour later and Bucky could feel his heart knock against his chest. He’s finally made a decision by himself and here he was dangling this decision in front of someone who can take it away.

Maybe he shouldn’t have come? Maybe he should just run away with Brooklyn and stay undercover? Maybe he should- a small push from the man behind him interrupted his thoughts. He looked back and saw Clint and Brooklyn looking at him. The man was sporting an encouraging smile as he handed the little girl in his arms to him.

Bucky pushed the door to the infirmary unit and took a deep breath. The staff were all busy walking around and didn’t even spare them a glance. He knocked on the assigned room then opened the door and saw that Agents Hill and Coulson were already there. With them was a tall blonde lady with a charming smile.

“Agent Barnes, this is Dr. Paige she will be the doctor assigned to the little one” Hill explained. Bucky acknowledged her with a nod as he placed Brooklyn down on the bed.

The little girl clung to him for a bit before letting go. “Here. I’ll be right outside with Clint” Bucky said as he sat the Bucky bear on her lap, “we’ll peek through that window” he pointed at the window at the door. Clint was right there making faces. Brooklyn stifled a laugh and held the hand of the bear tightly.

Bucky got up and walked out of the room. “She seems to have improved since we last saw her” Coulson commented as Bucky passed him. Bucky nodded then stopped walking.

“She’s not like most kids. Prefers following orders than playing with toys. Barton had to explain what a teddy bear was for” Bucky fondly told him as they settled on the bench in the hallway.

Coulson smiled, “well, she’s going to be fine. After all she’s got the Avengers watching over her as well”

“Yeah” Bucky sighed. He never would’ve imagined his life like this but he liked it. “You’re only going to check her general well being, right? No needles?” he suddenly asked.

Coulson shook his head, “I suppose her blood sample is necessary, Agent Barnes” he said.

“She doesn’t do well with-“ _CRASH_ “needles” Bucky was quickly at the door and so were Clint and Phil. They swung the door open and saw Brooklyn at the edge of the room, her body positioned for battle. She was breathing heavily as she glared at the two women in front of her, Bucky bear tucked on her side. Hill was stiff and guarded while Paige was sitting on the floor next to a tipped over cart, medical tools were scattered on the ground.

As soon as Brooklyn spotted Bucky at the door, she ran to him and held onto his waist, and buried her face against her hip. Bucky let the flesh hand fall between her shoulders and hold her against him.

“What just happened?” Clint voiced out.

Hill straightened her uniform and ran a hand over her hair.  She then went to help Paige stand up. “We were trying to get a blood sample” she explained, “she agreed. Until Dr. Paige brought out the syringe and the child attacked her then you came in”.

“I suggest not taking blood samples then. She’s not good with needles” Bucky mumbled.

“Noted” Hill replied.

Paige stood up and ran a hand over her skirt. “Well... physically, she’s very healthy as expected from a child bred through a laboratory. But we can’t help but see a few healing bruises in her arms?” she said.

Bucky tapped the top of Brooklyn’s head. She looked up at him and he instructed her to go with Clint outside using sign language. When the two left the room, he faced the doctor.

“She’s got nightmares. You’ve seen what she could do. She can’t control her strength. I need to hold her down when she lashes out. Other bruises were... caused by her whenever she felt... incompetent” Bucky explained, almost begging for them to understand.

 Paige, however, was unimpressed. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, then if she isn’t psychologically stable, I believe she’s unfit to stay in an uncontrolled environment without professionals to monitor her” she said.

“What?” Bucky huffed.

“I’m saying that she should seek professional help and be under surveillance at all times” Paige discussed, “a child like that should be watched over by doctors, not by a former assassin and a bunch of superheroes!”

“She’s doing fine with us!” Bucky retaliated, “She’s getting better! She just needs a little more time to adjust-”

“I’m sorry Agent Barnes, but who are you to decide that when you’re having issues yourself?” Paige pointed out.

Bucky gritted his teeth and balled his fists.

Coulson and Hill stood there unfazed. Paige picked up her clipboard and walked towards the door. Bucky grabbed her arm and opened his mouth to speak.

“Agent Barnes, please let go of me” Paige coldly spoke, “you and I both know that the child is better off with SHIELD than she is with you”.

Bucky let his hand fall to his side.

“Take her to the ward” Hill quietly ordered the SHIELD agents coming towards her. She walked away trying not to look at Bucky or Brooklyn. Coulson raised his hand to pat Bucky but decided against it then walked away as well.

“Hey!” Bucky heard Clint yell. He turned to the bench Clint and Brooklyn were sat and saw the agents trying to pull the girl up from her seat.

“Bucky they’re trying to take her away!” Clint yelled, “Why are you just standing there!”

His feet were stuck on the ground and his body was stiff. Paige had a point. Paige was probably right. Suddenly he felt strong hands on his biceps, shaking him. It was Clint. Everything was suddenly too slow and the sounds were too loud.

Clint’s voice was muffled by the screams and cries of a little girl. There was also the sound of carts on rolling on the tile floor, the grunts of the agents trying to handle the strength of a five years old super soldier.

Bucky snapped back to reality and his eyes focused on the little girl holding on his leg. He stood still.

“please don’t let them take me away” Brooklyn was crying, one hand tight around Bucky bear’s hand, the other gripped on the end of his shirt. It was the most child-like he’s seen of the kid.

He fell to his knees and held her shoulders.

“Are you sure you want to stay with me?” Bucky spoke roughly. Brooklyn was harshly wiping her tears as she nodded. Bucky took her in his arms and stood up. He then passed her to Clint and mumbled, “run”.

The SHIELD agents came after them but Bucky quickly moved and grabbed one of them. He swung the agent towards the others making them all fall over. He saw more coming in from the end of the hall. He immediately turned around and followed Clint and Brooklyn.

Once they were at the parking lot, they shuffled into Clint’s car and hastily drove off.

“We’re gonna be in so much trouble” amusement laced Clint’s breathy words.

Bucky smirked as he looked back at Brooklyn staring out the backseat window. “She’s worth it” he smiled.

The man’s grip on the wheel relaxed, “Where to? Can’t exactly go back to the tower, that’s the first place they’d look” Clint said.  Bucky looked at him then shrunk back into his seat.

“I have no idea”

“I know a place you could lay low for a while”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Brooklyn find a temporary place to stay

They arrived at a shady neighbourhood in Bed-Stuy and stopped at a beat up building. Bucky looked around as Clint got out of the car.

“Uh... where are we exactly?” Bucky asked as he stepped out of the vehicle. Clint was helping Brooklyn out of the car when he replied. “safehouse”.

“Are you sure?” Bucky raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well... you’ll be alright here for the time being” Clint shook off. Brooklyn looked around as well and seemed just as suspicious as Bucky. “You’re definitely his kid” Clint chuckled. He held the girl’s hand as they walked into the building and went up to his floor.

Clint fished his keys from his pockets. “This is my place. There’s a free unit, couple doors down. I’m just gonna grab the keys real quick” he explained as he jiggled his key through the key hole. There was muffled barking from the other side of the door.

“You have a dog?” Bucky commented.

The door swung open and a one eyed brown dog padded towards Clint. “This is Lucky. Lucky meet Bucky and Brooklyn” he introduced as he pulled the dog by its collar back inside the apartment.

Lucky stopped wriggling away from Clint’s hold when Brooklyn stood near him. He started sniffing her and Brooklyn hid behind Bucky’s leg. Clint motioned for Brooklyn to come closer. Lucky sat down and softly waved his tail behind him. Brooklyn looked up at Bucky who in return gently pushed her towards the dog. She extended her hand and Lucky bowed. She patted the top of his head and when Lucky’s tail wagged happily, she leaned closer and scratched the back of his ear.

“See, you’re gonna be just fine. Now where are those keys” Clint mumbled as he climbed up the stairs of his apartment. Bucky walked in, his eyes taking in the place. It didn’t hold much but it looked like something Clint would call a ‘safehouse’.

 Bucky turned to Brooklyn and Lucky who were now running around the apartment. “Hey careful, you might break something” he called to them but Brooklyn was far too focused on playing with her new found friend to pay him any attention. He sat down on the steps and sighed. He’s starting to sound like his mother.

Once he heard Clint’s footsteps, he looked up and the man settled on the step beside him. “You doing alright?” Clint asked.

“Y-yeah, I guess...” Bucky rubbed his temples.

“Do you wanna go back to the tower instead?”

 “No. Here is good. It’s just... different” Bucky explained. Suddenly Brooklyn came running to him and squealing as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Lucky was barking at her.

She laughed as she turned her head to face Lucky then back to hiding in Bucky’s shoulder. Bucky laughed as he picked her up. “Enough playing?” he asked. Brooklyn quickly stretched down to pat Lucky and Bucky almost dropped her. He immediately held her up against him.

“DO NOT DO THAT! You’re gonna give me a heart attack” Clint exclaimed. Brooklyn stared at him for a while then jolted backwards. She giggled as Clint tried to catch her.

 Clint clicked his tongue and helped her back up. He raised his head and found his face inches away from Bucky’s.  The two men locked eyes for a moment. Almost immediately Clint stepped back and cleared his throat.

“Oh, her hearing aid’s gone” he suddenly pointed out. Bucky checked Brooklyn’s ear, “they must’ve taken them out at the clinic”

Brooklyn wriggled out of Bucky’s hold then went to chase Lucky again.

“Let’s go see that unit, shall we?”  Clint announced and hastily walked out the door. Bucky called Brooklyn’s attention then followed the other man.

Clint stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall. “One of the tenants moved out coz he got married. He was a pretty neat guy and left most of his stuff so there wasn’t much to fix when he left” he said as he opened the door.

“Won’t the super get suspicious or anything? You do know I don’t have money to pay rent” Bucky awkwardly spoke.

“No problem. Can you fix leaks and stuff like that? I’d take that as payment” the blond archer stood proud.

Bucky raised his eyebrows at him, “you own this building?”

“Yeahp”

“So this is where you’re at when you’re not at the tower...” Bucky spoke more to himself than to Clint. He walked into the place and looked around. It was much like Clint’s place just... emptier. There was a couch, some shelves, the kitchen had one pot, a couple of bookshelves with two books in them and the bed was okay.

“What do you say?” Clint directed his question to Brooklyn, “do you want to live here?”

“tower”  Brooklyn mumbled.

“It’s not as luxurious, but at least you’re with your daddy”

Bucky nodded then sat down on one of the barstools on the kitchen counter, “could use some work but hey, I’ve seen worse in the 40s” he said.

“If you need help with anything, you know where to find me” Clint bid before sliding the keys down the counter and then leaving.

“Why are we here?”  Brooklyn softly spoke as she climbed up on the other bar stool.

Bucky faced her and sighed, “we ran away from the people who tried to take you. If we go back to the tower, they might try and take you away again”

Brooklyn only nodded to accept his explanation. Half of Bucky expected her to throw a tantrum and tell him she wanted to go back to the tower like a normal kid but he was fine with her accepting it like an order. He didn’t actually know how he’d deal with her if she did question the decision.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Bucky went to open it and saw Clint rubbing his neck.

“Hey. Is the rent due already?”Bucky smirked. Clint let out a soft laugh.

“Nah. I’m just... do you guys want to have dinner at my place. There’s barely anything in here. We could order Chinese or pizza” he invited.

Bucky motioned for Brooklyn to come over. “We’d love to, thanks Clint” he said before grabbing the keys from the counter and closing their door. They followed Clint back to his apartment.

\---

After dinner, Clint introduced his new neighbours to Dog Cops. Soon enough the father and daughter were just as hooked on it as he was. Bucky was seated on the end of the couch, Brooklyn sat on the floor beside Lucky, and Clint was on the other end of the couch with his feet propped up next to Bucky.

“So Sgt. Whiskers-“ Bucky started. “Yeahp” Clint simply replied. “wow” Bucky sighed. He then looked down to call Brooklyn’s attention but stopped when he found the little girl cuddled up next to Lucky.

“She fell asleep” Bucky uttered as he gently slid his hand over her hair.

Clint sat up and planted his feet on the floor, “you can stay the night. You two can take the bed, I’ll stay here” he said.

“Thanks, Clint. Really” Bucky faced him this time. “Wouldn’t know what I would’ve done back there” he mumbled. Then, Clint’s hand was on his arm.

“It’s nothing, Buck. Don’t worry bout it” Clint patted his arm then moved forward to get up but he was stopped by the grip on his forearm. He looked back and saw Bucky move closer.

He waited for the man to come closer but he only retracted his hand and proceeded to picking up Brooklyn from the floor. “I... I’ll get you guys a blanket” Clint mumbled then headed up the stairs.

Bucky carried Brooklyn and patted her back as she squirmed a little. He headed to the stairs and caught a view of Clint changing the sheets on his bed. Bucky smiled but quickly shook the smile off. Going after Clint would be a bad idea. Being with Clint would mean trouble. And he’s had enough trouble as it is.

He took a couple steps into the area and Clint looked up, the end of the sheet quickly pulled out of the corner. “Aww sheet” Clint mumbled. Bucky smirked as he balanced Brooklyn in one arm and propped her sleeping form on his side. He then bent down to pull the sheet in place.

As soon as the bed was fixed, Bucky gently laid Brooklyn down then sat on the edge of the bed. He let out a breath and let his head hang.

“Hey, you alright?” Clint asked from the other side of the bed. Bucky turned around to face him.

“What am I doing, Clint? I can’t raise a little girl. I’ve got no job. I’m a former assassin. According to my records I’m dead” Bucky looked away and cradled his head in his hands, “I shouldn’t have done this”

He felt a hand pat his shoulder. He looked up and saw Clint pass by him, “yeah, well it’s too late to turn back now Barnes. Things will get better... eventually. Don’t worry bout it”

Bucky nodded and sat back. As soon as Clint was out of sight, he opened the window and sat on the sill. He grabbed the lighter and the case from his pocket and stared at them. He’s been so distracted since Brooklyn came into the scene that he hasn’t had time to smoke. He’s been cooped up in the tower too and Stark didn’t allow it.

His hands shook a bit as he lit it but as soon as he placed the cigarette between his lips, Bucky felt calmer. With every puff of smoke he exhaled, he felt like the breath he’s been holding for the past few weeks finally escaped his lungs. Smoking wasn’t going to affect him, the serum made sure of that. But it didn’t stop him from trying.

One...

Two...

Three sticks.

Bucky looked back at the bed and saw Brooklyn beginning to squirm. He immediately shoved the end of his cigarette on the brick wall then moved to the bed.

“Hey Brook, it’s okay... I’m right here” he whispered over and over but Brooklyn wasn’t getting any calmer. She started trashing around and letting out silent screams. When her eyes shot open, Bucky held her close. Usually, she’d calm down right then but she started hitting him and pushing him away.

Suddenly Clint was up there as well.

“What’s wrong?” he called out.

“I don’t know” Bucky panicked.

When Clint got near them he picked her up and she quickly went with him. Clint wrinkled his nose. “Have you been smoking? Barnes...” he shook his head, “Go grab one of my shirts from the closet. It’s probably that”. Bucky immediately got up and grabbed one of Clint’s purple shirts. He pulled his shirt off and put on Clint’s. It was a little tight but it would do.

Clint rubbed Brooklyn’s back as she gently sobbed into his chest. He tried to pry her away from him and hand her over to her dad but Brooklyn held on to Clint as she shook her head.

The look on Bucky was something Clint couldn’t explain. “Hey, c’mon” Clint mumbled into her hair but Brooklyn was adamant on staying with him. With that, Bucky got up and went downstairs.

Guilt washed over Clint as he hummed the little girl to sleep. Soon enough she fell back to sleep and Clint tucked her in. When he was sure that she was alright he looked over the edge of the mezzanine to look for Bucky. Seeing that the man wasn’t there, he quickly ran down the stairs but immediately stopped when he saw Bucky hunched over the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee between his hands.

“Is she okay?” Bucky mumbled as he raised his head to face Clint.

“She’s asleep... look, sorry I-“ Clint settled on the barstool beside him.

Bucky waved his hand and shook his head, “nah, at least now we know she trusts someone else besides me. It’s good to know that.” He bowed his head again, “maybe I shouldn’t have brought her here. Left her with SHIELD-“

Clint grabbed his shoulder forcing him to look at him, “hey, listen to me, it wasn’t a mistake and you’re doing fine”

The two stared at each other for a while. Clint suddenly moved forward and captured Bucky’s lips with his. Completely stunned, Bucky didn’t respond. There he was getting kissed by the guy he liked and he couldn’t make himself move.

Just as his body finally listened to his brain, Clint backed up with his hands in his hair, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. Oh fuck I’m so stupid-“

Bucky quickly grabbed the front of Clint’s shirt and pulled him close. He was in enough trouble as it is anyway, one more wouldn’t hurt. Just as their lips were about to touch, Clint’s beeper went off, startling the both of them. They bolted away from each other and Clint grabbed the device from his pocket.

“not even at the tower and we still get cockblocked by the Avengers”  Bucky heard Clint mumble under his breath. He smirked and went back to his coffee.

“Go be a superhero” he uttered.

“You know, you’re a superhero too, right?” Clint called from the cabinet where he kept his bow and arrows.

“Not for a while”

“If you say so... I’ll see you later then”

“You know where to find me” 


	4. Chapter 4

When Clint arrived at SHIELD, only Cap and Natasha were there.

“Hey Nat. Cap” he greeted as he entered the doors of the meeting room.

Steve looked at him expectantly, “where’s Bucky?”

Clint only shrugged his shoulders as he sat on a chair beside Nat. Steve still had his eyes on Clint as if waiting for some kind of explanation.

“What?” luckily Fury entered the room and Cap dropped the glare.

He was a spy before he was an Avenger and Clint knew how to lie but Natasha knew that too. Throughout the briefing for their next Hydra base invasion, he could feel her staring right through his skull.

“Where are they?” Natasha whispered from behind Clint once they’ve boarded the helicarrier. Clint shivered at what she did and moved away, still not facing her.

“Who?” he continued going through his arrows.

“Oh you know who I’m talking about, Clint. SHIELD saw you drive away. They got you in some weird car chase and lost you somewhere in Bed-Stuy. Where’s the kid?” she leaned on the side of the carrier with her arms crossed.

Clint purposely took off his hearing aids and walked away.  He knew he could trust the other Avengers but they were in SHIELD territory and he knew Bucky wouldn’t want them to know where they were.

When Cap signalled for them to get ready, he placed his aids back on.

\---

Bucky sat on the bench with Lucky resting beside his foot and Brooklyn settled beside him as she ate her ice cream cone.

“After you eat that, you could go play with the other kids” he said out of nowhere. Brooklyn looked up at him as she finished up her food.

She cocked her head to the side, “I don’t know them” she said. Bucky turned to her and saw the ice cream marks on her face. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped her mouth.

“It’s okay. You could just hang out by the swings and then talk to the other kids when they talk to you” he spoke. _I’ll be right here if you need me_ he moved his hands clumsily in a way Brooklyn understood. _Go on_ he told her. The little girl reluctantly left his side and went to sit on one of the empty swings a few yards away.

He watched her try to move the swing. She shook the chains first then started trying to move it forward. The kid then stared at how the older kid on the other swing moved hers. She copied her and smiled brightly towards Bucky when she was able to sway forward and backward a little. She excitedly signed _Did you see that?_ to him and he nodded. She began adding force but her legs couldn’t give her much of a boost.

Suddenly a small boy stood near the swings. Brooklyn immediately stopped her swing and sat straight. Bucky repeated the action, ready to run towards her if she attacked the boy. But the boy only shyly moved his hands to speak to her. He saw Brooklyn physically relax then sign back to the boy. He couldn’t see the kid’s face but he’s pretty sure his daughter just made his day.

The boy moved behind Brooklyn and pushed the swing. After a while, Brooklyn stepped off the swing and the boy replaced her. The way she pushed the swing started strong then got slower with every push until it was in about the same speed as how the boy pushed her earlier. Bucky relaxed and smiled. She was a quick learner and he was feeling pride swell in his chest.

That feeling quickly disappeared when a bigger kid pulled on the chains of the swing and pushed the boy off the seat.

Bucky saw Brooklyn stiffen. The larger boy sat on the swing and the smaller boy began crying on the ground. Brooklyn glared at the bigger kid and strutted towards him. At that, Bucky immediately got up from his seat, earning a yelp from Lucky. He let go of the leash and darted towards his little girl.

Brooklyn was able to push the kid off the swing and was winding up a punch when Bucky got to her. He pulled her up and turned around. When he laid her back on the ground and faced her towards him, her eyes were emotionless. Bucky placed both his hands on her cheeks.

“Do not do that. Don’t hurt others. That’s not good” he told her. She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, “but he hurt”.

“Yes. But revenge is not the answer” he told her. Then he turned his head to look at the smaller boy. He caught sight of the bigger kid bawling to his mom who was too busy talking to another mom. The small boy was still sitting on the ground next to the swing; his knees were brought up to his chest, his face buried in his arms. It reminded him of Steve. So, he took Brooklyn’s hand in his and led her to the little boy. He squatted in front of him and Brooklyn did the same. Bucky tapped the kid’s arm and he looked up at him with eyes wet and red.

Bucky raised his hand, pointed at him then formed an ‘o’ then a ‘k’. The boy wiped his eyes then nodded. Brooklyn asked him where his parents were and they took him to them.

The boy’s grandfather was nodding off on a bench and Bucky recognized him as the old man from the repair shop across Clint's building's street.

“Excuse me?” Bucky voiced out. The old man looked up at him then at the boy. He gently took the kid to his side. The boy, despite the tears streaks on his face, smiled brightly at him and linked his pointer fingers like a chain. The grandpa looked at Bucky and Brooklyn.

“Thank you” he told them. His eyes were teary and as he spoke, “Harrison,” he extended his hand towards Bucky, “Thank you for watching over Tommy. He doesn’t usually make friends because of- ” he stopped talking when he felt a tug on his sleeve. The boy, Tommy, signed _hungry._ He brought out a sandwich and handed it to him. He then kissed him on the cheek before signing _thank you_.

“Would you like to join us for lunch?” the old man asked him.

They settled in a small restaurant near the playground and were having lunch when Harrison started talking to Bucky.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you around. You new?” he asked.

Bucky nodded as he took a spoonful of his food, “moved in... the other day”

“new in town or just the street?”

“Looking to start over, you know?” the questions made Bucky antsy but he saw how Brooklyn and Tommy were enjoying their time together and he didn’t want to take that away from her.

Harrison hummed to acknowledge his answer then went, “Are you looking for a job?” Bucky raised his eyebrows and the man took it as a sign to continue speaking, “I’m not that young anymore and all my children have jobs that take all their time, even Tommy’s parents don’t have enough time to bring their son to the park. I just need an assistant at the repair shop”

“I don’t think I’m qualified to repair anything”

“Don’t worry I’ll teach you what I know and you get weekends off. I pay well if you work well” the man explained.

“Sounds good”

“You won’t miss my shop. It’s three blocks from here and has my name on it. Plus, it’s the only repair shop there. You don’t know how many people break their things”

“I bet”

 

Lunch ended and they parted ways. Brooklyn seemed too quiet as she walked beside Bucky.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked her. Lucky stopped walking and sniffed at Brooklyn, causing Bucky to halt as well.

“Are you my father?” Brooklyn asked him. Bucky’s heart raced. He feared that one day she’d raise the question about family and the like. He didn’t expect her to ask it too soon though.

“Yeah” he said as he squatted down to her height.

“Where’s my mother?” she asked.

“I honestly don’t know” he replied. There was no point sugar coating it. He felt it was better to say it straight than dodge it.

“She don't like me coz I’m broken?” Brooklyn’s voice was cold. Bucky tucked her hair behind her ear, “you’re not broken, darling. You’re just different. Like Clint. Does he look broken to you?” he explained. Brooklyn shook her head.

“Then you’re not broken” he smiled and stood up. Lucky started walking again.

“Can I call you Poppa?” Brooklyn spoke up. Bucky looked at her for a while. He then took a deep breath and said, “sure, why not?”

Brooklyn grinned then placed her hand in his, “thank you Poppa” she said. The word sunk in Bucky’s chest and made him feel better than he thought it would.

\---

The trip back from the mission was short. Or rather, it felt short since Clint spent most of it sleeping. Natasha woke him up when the helicarrier was about to land.

“tell me where they are or I’ll tell people what happened in Budapest” Natasha roughly grumbled from behind him as they walked out the carrier.

Clint side glanced at her then rolled his eyes, “Fine! Just... scrape the gum off my shoes” he uttered.

Natasha nodded and walked ahead of him. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Cap smiling at him.

“How’re they?” he asked.

Clint raised an eyebrow at him, “I dunno Cap. Did you forget that I was on a mission with you for the past week?”

“You know where they are, I assume” Steve’s tone was very... Captain America and Clint gulped at that. How can you lie to this man?

“Agent Barton!” Clint let out the breath he was holding and quickly turned to who called him. It was Hill.

“Agent Hill? What’s up?” he greeted.

Maria Hill extended her hand, “The Hydra runaway left this. I believe you know where they are?”

“Nope”

“Agent Barton, if Agent Barnes and that kid cause any trouble it will be on you. It would be better to hand her over before things escalate to levels beyond your control”

“Have you met the kid, Hill? She’s a child, nothing more. And I know Barnes will take better care of her than SHIELD ever will” Clint grabbed the hearing aid from Hill’s hand then walked away.

“There’s a debriefing in the morning, Clint!”

“The only debriefing I’m doing is to show you my ass” Clint yelled back at them then cringed as he realized how awkward his response was.

 

When Clint arrived at his apartment, he expected his two new tenants to be in his place.

“Buck? Brook?”he called out as he placed his bow and arrows in the closet beside the door. He stepped deeper into his unit and looked around, “Lucky?”

As if on cue, his front door opened and in came the dog he was calling.

Following the dog was the young super soldier wrapped tightly in a parka with her hair a mess over her head. “Clint!” she exclaimed as she ran up to him.

“I told you he’ll come back” Bucky announced as he kicked the door close behind him. He laid grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

Clint knelt down and opened his arms, “no welcome home hug?” he told the little girl.

Brooklyn smiled wide then wrapped her arms over Clint’s shoulders. Clint wrapped his arms around her waist and he lifted her from the floor; earning him an excited giggle.

“How’s the team?” Bucky uttered as he took out the contents of the bag.

“About that... we should expect Natasha to be here in-“ _knock knock_ “she’s here.” Propping Brooklyn on his hip, Clint went to peek through the peep hole. Once he saw the red hair, he opened the door.

“принцесса” Natasha greeted with a smirk.

Brooklyn’s eyes went wide, “Natasha’s here!” she squeaked. She wriggled in Clint’s arms to face her dad in the kitchen, “Poppa! Natasha’s here”

“I leave for a few days and you’ve officially been called Poppa?” Clint commented as he closed the door behind Natasha.

Just then, another knock interrupted them. Clint leaned into the door to look through the hole again but Brooklyn shoved his head away, “I want to see!”

“Careful принцесса, Grandpa Clint isn’t as strong as you are. You might tear his head off” Natasha said as she gave Bucky a kiss on the cheek.

“CAP!” Brooklyn yelped then swung down to grab the doorknob.

Clint huffed as he placed the kid back on her feet, “Are we having a party I didn’t know about?”

Steve was standing in front of the door with a sheepish smile and his hand on the back of his neck, “hey” he greeted.

“Tony?” Brooklyn looked around.

“Uhh sorry, it’s just me” Steve blushed lightly.

Brooklyn nodded then grabbed his hand, “it’s okay. Get in!” she pulled him into the apartment. Clint closed the door again.

“wow, she’s changed” Steve breathed.

Bucky stood near the doorway to greet his friend, “I regularly brought her to the playground for a few days and she adapted to child behavior real quick”

“I met Tommy. He's deaf.” Brooklyn excitedly announced. Steve nodded to acknowledge her.

Clint then moved towards the counter, “So, you guys have been socializing while I wasn’t here?”

“I was scoping the area” Bucky mumbled.

“Sure you were. Where’d you get the money for all these?” Clint hopped up onto the counter beside Bucky.

A small smile settled on Bucky’s lips as he looked away from Brooklyn playing with Steve and Natasha and back to the milk carton he pulled out of the bag. “There was this bag of cash in the closet upstairs”

“What the fuck!” Clint exclaimed and shoved the man.

“Relax, I didn’t take anything. Also, you should go put that in a bank...” Clint raised an eyebrow at him. Bucky started folding the paper bag, “I got a job at the repair shop across the street. Brooklyn made friends with Mr. Harrison’s grandson. After lunch, he asked if I wanted a job. So... now I have to report there; eight to six from Monday to Friday”

“I can imagine all the ladies flocking to the repair shop because of purposely broken appliances and cars” Clint teased.

Bucky smirked as he opened the drawer to put the bag, “yeah well, they’d have to settle with just watching coz I’m kinda into this reckless asshat archer”

Heat gathered in Clint’s stomach and ears. He stared at Bucky. When the man turned to him, he looked down immediately.

“Don’t tell me that night was a-“ Bucky froze as he spoke.

Clint immediately raised both his hands, “oh gahd no. No. I- I just didn’t think- yknow...”

Bucky was about to say something when he felt a pull on the edge of his shirt. Brooklyn had her hand in a c-shape facing her and she moved her hand down the middle of her chest. Bucky nodded and washed an apple before handing it over to her. “Have this first. I’ll make dinner in a while, okay?” he told her.

“Can I have apples for Natasha and Cap too?”

 _How about I just cut them up for you to share?_ Clint signed to her. Brooklyn nodded excitedly. _Go play, I’ll bring it over to you._ He took the apple from her and pulled out a knife from the drawer.

Bucky laid out the ingredients and began setting up to cook dinner.

“So... what are we going to do with this? Are you staying here?” Clint mumbled more to the apple than to Bucky but the man responded anyway.

“We’re all set up in the other unit, though” Bucky said, “I don’t really know. Let’s just see where this goes, I guess?”

Clint smiled as he finished slicing up the apple and transferred them to a bowl. He walked over to the living area and squatted between Cap and Brooklyn who were making clay sculptures. “Here you go” he said as he put the bowl on the coffee table.

Brooklyn placed the tip of her open hand on her chin then extended it towards Clint.

“You’re welcome” Clint replied then dug his hand into his inner jacket pocket. “Oh and you forgot this” he pulled out the hearing aid and Brooklyn’s face brightened. He helped her put it on and switch it on.  “okay?”

But Brooklyn scrunched her eyebrows together and shook her head.

Clint took it out and examined it. They tried it on again but it still didn’t work.

“Is it broken?” Steve interjected, “I can ask Tony to make her another one”.

“Of course, your genius boyfriend probably has ten upgrades already...” Clint teased with a grin. Steve’s cheeks turned pink but he averted his attention to playing with Brooklyn.

Clint then joined Natasha on the couch as they watched Steve and Brooklyn move from clay to drawing.

“You and Barnes getting along well?” Natasha commented, her eyes flickered from Clint to the two.

“We always have”

“But not this way... Do you want me to take the kid back to the tower for a night?”

“Nah. She and Bucky don’t live with me”

Nat raised an eyebrow and faced him. “Won’t it be better if they did? Back up?”

“Bucky’s got it all under control”

The two of them turned to Bucky just to see him frowning at a can. Nat turned back to Clint and gave a small smile.

“He’s a good man. And so are you...”

Clint shrugged and leaned back on the couch.

Nat shook her head then slid off her seat and sunk to the floor next to Brooklyn. The little girl kept tucking her hair behind her ear as she drew on the paper on the floor.

“Hey, принцесса, you want me to fix your hair?” Natasha offered with her hands mimicking her words. The little girl stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. “Sit up for me” Nat ordered and the girl followed. She gathered Brooklyn’s hair in pigtails and tied them up with rubber bands. Brooklyn touched her head when Nat was finished.  Nat then pulled out her phone and switched her camera on to use as a mirror. Brooklyn looked right at it.

“I like” she said, “thank you” then hugged her. Nat paused for a second then smiled.

“Look here” Nat pointed to the camera, “smile!” she said and the girl did. _click_.

“Hey Cap” Nat called and adjusted her hand to fit Steve in the frame along with Brooklyn. _Click._

Clint saw this and quickly squished into frame, “hey me too!”

“Buck come over here!” Steve yelled out and Bucky turned to them. When he saw Natasha’s phone, he shook his head.

“Nah” he chuckled then returned to what he was cooking. Suddenly everyone was in the kitchen area, trying to gather around him to fit the frame.

Clint carried Brooklyn and stood beside Bucky, Steve had his head sticking out from between them and Natasha stood in front of them. Only their faces filled up the screen due to Natasha’s fairly short arm. Steve offered to hold the phone for her and moved beside Clint.

After a few shots, Clint, Natasha, and Brooklyn went back to the living area to take more photos. Steve stayed behind and leaned on the kitchen counter.

“After everything’s that happened, I never would’ve imagined this, you know?” Steve said.

Bucky glanced at him then returned to mixing the content of the pot, “To be fair, no one in the universe could have imagined all the shit we’ve been through”

“Not that. Not in a million years. But this: you with a daughter, cooking, being all domestic. Never really thought you were the type”

“I didn’t either. To be honest, I’m still thinking it’s all just some dream in the cryo. But it’s good. She’s great... it’s only been a couple months but I feel like there hasn’t been a time when I didn’t know her” Bucky let a small smile linger on his lips.

“I’m happy for you”

Bucky raised an eyebrow at his best friend, “I’m pretty sure Stark can get you this and more” he teased.

“Oh shut up” Steve rolled his eyes and watched the trio playing around with the dog in the living area. “Tony’s... I know Tony and this isn’t something he’d want. I’m not some-“

“Oh god, Steve. Can you not do that? Stark’s so in love with you he’s probably jealous of the air you breathe. It’s not the 40s anymore. It’s fine”

“What about you and Clint, then?” Steve poked his shoulder.

“Poppa!”

Bucky looked over to Brooklyn and saw her on Clint’s shoulder, “Poppa can we eat yet?”

“Almost done, sweetheart” he called back.

Steve held back a laugh as he moved away from the counter and opened a couple cupboards before finding the ones with plastic plates, “let me help set the table”

Bucky laid down the goopy carbonara on the table and they all took their respective seats. Dinner wasn’t much of a quiet affair with both Steve and Clint there. Bucky wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“This is really good, Buck” Steve commented, “better than the stuff you made in the forties and that was good stuff”

“yeah yeah, don’t eat everything big guy, some of us need to eat too” Clint replied.

Bucky laughed as he saw Natasha stealing from Clint's plate and acting like she didn’t.

_Knock knock_

Bucky, being the closest to the door, got up from his seat. “Did you guys invite someone else?” he called.

Once he opened the door. He wished he didn’t.

“Agent Barnes” Dr. Paige greeted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sign language on this chapter, I took an asl class a couple months ago and just put up what I remembered. I had a bit of internet review but if there are any errors please do point it out. I'd really appreciate it.
> 
> Sorry for taking too long and thank you so much for taking time to read this :)


	5. END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hydra found out where their two super soldiers are and they're adamant in taking them back. But Clint, Steve, and Natasha aren't going to let them go without a fight

Bucky stepped halfway through the frame and closed the door enough to cover who he was talking to. “What are you doing here?” he all but growled. Lucky walked up beside him and began barking.

“I believe you have something of ours,” Paige spoke with a stiff smile. “Now hand her over”.

“No” Bucky stepped back and moved to close the door.

Paige immediately placed her foot between the door and the frame, “I’m not going to ask you again, Agent Barnes”. She was glaring at him. “Sputnik”

At that, Bucky fell to the floor and Paige stepped over his body to enter the loft.

Lucky growled and barked, alarming the Avengers in the room. Hydra agents came into the room as well and the group stood from their seats.

“What the hell?” Clint expressed. Immediately his mind went to the hearing aid in his pocket. He swore under his breath and stood in front of Brooklyn.

“Hand the girl over and we’ll walk away, no one gets hurt” Paige offered.

“I thought we’ve gotten rid of all the double agents at SHIELD” Steve mumbled.

Paige shook her head as she let out a soft laugh. “Captain Rogers, so innocent, so trusting. I have no time to explain anything to you. Can we just get this over with? Give. me. the girl”

“No” Clint said, low and threatening.

“I tried to play nice” Paige crossed her arms over her chest then turned her head at the movement at the door. “Call in the asset” the smile on her lips was almost villainous.

Bucky walked into view but it wasn’t Bucky at all. The look in his eyes was stern and angry.

“Hand over the girl before we MAKE you” Paige smirked. She grabbed a gun from one of the agents and handed it over to Bucky – no, to the Winter Soldier.

“Bucky” Steve breathed out. Facing him once was bad enough, having to fight him for his daughter was worse.

Clint looked down at the girl and saw her staring at her father. “Poppa?” Brooklyn uttered.

“That’s not your dad anymore, kid” he coldly replied. He looked at Paige, “what did you do to him?”

“This is taking too long. Grab the girl” Paige instructed, “any of you Avengers move, you’d be fighting your own team member”.

One of the Hydra agents pointed their gun at Clint and motioned for him to move. Clint stood still. The agent pointed the gun right between Clint’s nose.

“Go on, shoot me” Clint dared.

Brooklyn eyes widened and she suddenly jumped over the table to leap onto the agent’s shoulder and knock him down. Steve, Clint, and Natasha took that moment to attack the other agents.

“Take them down then bring me the girl” Paige spoke only loud enough for the Winter Soldier to hear.

The Winter Soldier made a small nod to acknowledge the order and then pointed his gun towards Clint. Natasha saw this and elbowed the Soldier’s back. She wrapped her arm around his neck, trying to knock him out.

“Don’t do this James” she mumbled into his ear. Suddenly she felt something hard slam against her back. Dr. Paige hit her with one of the barstools.

Clint grabbed one of the forks on the table and threw it at Paige, hitting her right on the shoulder. Lucky left one of the agent’s legs to focus on tearing Paige away from Natasha.

Once the Winter Soldier recovered, Steve tried to kick him back down. “Bucky, c’mon! Snap out of it” he kept saying with every defence; but the man was not budging.

“Poppa!” Brooklyn pushed the Winter Soldier away from Cap. “Poppa! We don’t hurt!” she yelled at him as she tried to keep the man away but he simply snatched her up and shot at the other three.

Paige kicked Lucky away and quickly got up, “you got the girl, let’s go!” she ordered and they hurriedly headed out of the building.

\---

They quietly sat in the van and Brooklyn felt fear crawl up her skin. The smell of the gunpowder, sweat, and the lack of air filled her head with memories she didn’t want to remember. Her heartbeat quickened and her breathing became heavier.

“Poppa” she looked up at the man beside her but he didn’t even glance at her.

“That’s not your father. You don’t have a family, you little monster” Paige explained nonchalantly as she typed on her phone, “you were bred in a laboratory. You’re nothing but a science experiment”.

Brooklyn gritted her teeth _, liar_ she signed. She then moved to attack Paige but the Winter Soldier held her down.

“oh I forgot” Paige put down her phone and raised both hands. “You’re defective as well” she moved her hands to accompany her words, “that troublemaker is the cause of all this. If she had just trained you like she should, you wouldn’t have been punished, and broken”

“Not broken”

“Oh yes you are. We’re going to fix that and you’re going to work for us; the both of you” Paige smiled wickedly as she picked up her phone again. “The Winter Soldier: back to shape another century”

Brooklyn looked up at him again, this time she placed her hand in his and smiled up at him, “We don’t hurt” she said.

The Winter Soldier’s hand tightened around hers.

Once they arrived at the Hydra base laboratory, Brooklyn felt even worse. All the memories of her training came flashing in her head. She stopped in her tracks and sat down screaming.

“What’s wrong with her?” Paige, obviously annoyed, yelled as she grabbed the girl’s wrist. Brooklyn hastily pulled her arm away and kicked Paige on the leg. In her anger, she slapped the little girl.

Brooklyn stopped. She had her head bowed low, her breathing heavy, and her hands limp against her sides. After a few breaths, she harshly rubbed her eyes and stood up. She kept her jaw clenched and her breathing steady as she tried to fight the tears and the memories.

As soon as she was stable, the doctors strapped her down to a chair. She remained emotionless.

“Good, you’re remembering. Don’t make me hurt you again” Paige fixed her attire and walked out the door, The Winter Soldier right behind her.

Brooklyn wanted to reach out and call him but the doctors have tied her down. Tears quietly streamed down her cheeks. She didn’t want the doctors to hurt her like they used to. She had to behave.

While walking through the hallway, Paige walked two steps ahead of The Winter Soldier and she kept stealing glances at him. Something was off. She stopped walking and so did the soldier. She looked at him from head to toe then resumed walking. They turned left then right then left again. As they reached the end of the hall, Paige opened the door and stepped aside.

She gestured for him to enter. He walked towards the door. Once he was within her reach, she pushed him into the room and grabbed the phone from his back pocket.

She threw the phone on the floor, “you can’t fool me”

Bucky only smirked. He stood in the room glaring at Paige.

“You won’t be smiling when I send your _daughter_ in here to kill you” she spat then shut the door. Bucky swiftly moved towards the door but the lack of a doorknob inside made it impossible to open. He slammed his fists against it repeatedly, hoping to break it.

A string of curses escaped under his breath.

\---

Back at the apartment, Clint was rummaging around for his gear. He pulled out everything he needed. Steve was on the phone with Tony, already calling for back up, while Natasha sat on the kitchen island figuring a way to track them through her phone. Lucky was going around the unconscious agents on the floor.

A phone beeped and Clint raised an eyebrow at the tone. He looked at the phone perched over the refrigerator. He knew he placed his phone there but the phone on that location wasn’t his.

He picked it up and slid his finger over the screen.

 _WHICH DUMPSTER IS CLINT IN THIS TIME_ flashed. He clicked on it and it revealed a purple dot blinking in a map to a building a couple miles away.

An amused chuckle left Clint’s lips. So this was how he always found him. “got them” he called out to the other two.

\---

Brooklyn closed her eyes as they brought out the needles. She trashed and yelled while the doctors held her down. She didn’t care what the needles were for; she just knew that after the needles came something worse.

They got the machine positioned behind her and over her head.

“It’s one kid! How can you not control one CHILD” Paige’s voice boomed as she stepped into the door. She pushed the doctors aside then swung her hand across Brooklyn’s face, “you do what I tell you or I’ll kill your precious daddy and make you watch”.

Brooklyn squeezed her eyelids shut and stopped moving. Soon enough the device descended to her head and electricity shocked through her system.

\---

“Okay so let me get this straight, Barnes willingly brought his daughter to the Hydra base then sent you an SOS? How is that non sketchy?” Tony commented while they were in the quinjet.

“What’s the plan, Cap?” Clint interjected, completely ignoring Tony’s statement.

Steve put his helmet on and turned to the team. He was in full Captain America mode.

\---

Bucky continued to try and break down the door. He continuously hit it with his whole side, punched it with his metal arm, and even tried to kick it down but nothing worked. He slumped against the door and threw his head back, hitting it.

 _I’m sorry_ he thought repeatedly. _Clint you better get us_

The moment Bucky got up to try and punch his way out again, the door clicked and swung open.

Right in front of him stood Paige and Brooklyn. Only, Brooklyn wasn’t the same little girl he last saw. Her face was void of emotion and she stood tall like a robot waiting for orders. Bucky’s blood boiled as he spotted the bruises forming on Brooklyn’s arms.

He took heavy steps towards Paige, ready to attack her, but the doctor simply raised her hand, palm facing him.

“Take another step, soldier, and you’d have to fight your own daughter” she smugly said.

“What do you want from me?” Bucky snarled, his fists tightened even more.  “I’ll do whatever you want, just let her go”

Paige briefly patted Brooklyn’s head, “oh what fun would that be? Imagine how easy it’ll be to handle things when we have both of you on a mission. Who’d suspect a little girl and her grumpy looking daddy?” the amusement on the lady’s face just made Bucky angrier.

“Let her go” Bucky mumbled again. His heart was breaking. He tried so hard to get that little girl to smile like a normal child; and with one mind swipe, it was all gone. Brooklyn was the little girl she was before Bucky had her.

Paige pulled her clipboard closer to her chest and said, “if you agree to work under Hydra again, I might just consider”

Before Bucky could react, an explosion went off somewhere in the building.

“What the hell was that?” Paige exclaimed. She looked down at Brooklyn then at Bucky, “if he as much as moves a hand, you kill him” she instructed.

Brooklyn nodded then focused her glare at Bucky.

Bucky wasn’t sure if he was scared to actually have to hurt her or sad to see his little girl look so unlike herself.

Paige immediately ran towards the commotion.

“Brooklyn, please snap out of it” Bucky mumbled under his breath. There was a quick moment when the girl looked at him with a questioning stare but it vanished as soon as he saw it.

Bucky moved forward and he saw Brooklyn stiffen then positioned to attack. He quickly raised both his hands. “Brooklyn, c’mon. Snap out of it, please?”

It didn’t stop the girl, however, from throwing a punch at him. Bucky blocked it.  A punch, a kick, another hit.

“Brooklyn. Stop. We don’t hurt!”

With that, the little girl stopped moving. “Please, sweetie, stop this and snap out of it. Listen to Poppa’s voice” Bucky all but begged.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” the girl’s words were barely audible but Bucky quickly took the opportunity to hold her arms down. “I am an experiment! No father. No family.” she snapped at him.

“Brooklyn, sweetheart, you don’t have to listen to them. You don’t have to do this” he said as he held her against his chest. She wriggled violently against his hold and started kicking him.

“Stop calling me that!” she screamed. Bucky let her go and she quickly jumped over his shoulder. She grabbed his neck from the back and strangled him with her arms. “No. No. No” she repeatedly mumbled. Bucky could feel her shaking her head.

“Don’t fight it... I know you remember” words were difficult to bring out but Bucky knew he had to “Clint... Nat... Steve... they’ll take... us... home”

“I have no home” Brooklyn’s words were cold as she tightened her grip on his neck causing Bucky to lose his breath completely. His eyesight faltered and he fell back as Brooklyn stepped aside.

The little girl stared at the unconscious man on the floor and memories flashed in her head.

“No. No. NO” she told herself. She grabbed the knife in her boot and pointed it towards Bucky. Just as she was about to lunge at him, someone came running into the room.

“BROOKLYN!” Clint called out. The girl immediately went to defence mode and chucked the knife at him instead. “Woah woah! I thought we were good?” he exclaimed. His eyes fell to the man on the floor and he immediately went to his side, “BUCKY! BUCKY! HEY!” he said as he shook him.

Brooklyn stopped. Memories flooded her mind again.

“What happened?” Clint looked up at her for a quick second then went back to waking Bucky up.

A rush of guilt waved through Brooklyn but she didn’t know why. She felt that she did something really bad but she couldn’t figure out what. She was just following orders. Her body shook and tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

She shook her head and stepped back until her back hit the wall. Vague memories flashed constantly in her head and she screamed. She didn’t like it, not a bit.

Clint heaved a relieved sigh when he figured out that Bucky was just unconscious. That ease, however, was immediately taken away when he heard Brooklyn screaming.

He got up to go near her but the girl snapped her head up and glared at him. “NO. STAY AWAY” she yelled. “I killed him”

“Brooklyn, listen to me” he said with his hands following the words as he spoke, “you and your poppa are going to be okay”

She was just staring up at him now. He took this as a sign to step forward but the girl moved back. He stopped and, this time, only signed what he wanted to say. _I’m not going to hurt you. I promise._

The girl raised her hands then moved them comfortably. _Why should I trust you?_

 _It’s us or them_ Clint managed to reply before another explosion shook the building.

“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” Clint spoke over the noise, his attention fixed on Brooklyn.  He extended his hand to her, “we’re going to get you home”.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, AGENT BARTON” Paige spoke up from the doorway as she shot at him.  Clint pulled out one of his arrows and shot at Paige’s arm. The moment her gun hit the floor, Brooklyn attacked him from behind.

Thinking that he’s got no other choice, Clint grabbed one of his tranquilizer arrows and stabbed Brooklyn. “I’m sorry sweetie, it’s for your own good” he said as he watched her drop to the floor.

Paige quickly bent down and was about to shoot at them again when Bucky grabbed her and pulled her hands behind her.

 “Grab Brooklyn and go!” Bucky ordered.

A scoff escaped Paige, catching Bucky’s attention, “Too late Barnes. Your little girl has no idea who you are. Unlike you, her brain can’t handle the memory wipe. You’re just another stranger to her” she informed.

“Shut up” Bucky tightened his hold on her arms and pushed her into the hallway. “CLINT! Come on!!!”

Clint picked Brooklyn up, held her against his chest, and carried her out of the room.

“Attachment...” Paige grunted as she was roughly ushered through the hallway, “she’s not even your kid. She just shares your DNA. Why do you like her so much?”

“I don’t expect you to understand” Bucky nonchalantly replied.

As they reached the end of the hallway, they ran into Steve, Natasha, and someone in a lab coat looking awfully beaten up.

“Paige? What the hell?!” Bucky raised his eyebrows. Steve and Natasha were assisting a beat up version of Dr. Paige.

“Told them we should’ve gotten rid of her as soon as we got her identity” Paige mumbled under her breath.

The real Dr. Paige grabbed the gun from Natasha’s belt and pointed it at Hydra’s Paige. “You sick person” she uttered.

“Aww you’re going to try and kill me? That’s cute”

“Let’s get out of here” Clint said from behind them, an unconscious Brooklyn in his arms. “tranquilizer arrow. Don’t worry she’ll be fine in a few hours”

As the team was getting out of the crumbling building, Paige escaped Bucky’s grasp and headed back inside. Bucky, without thinking, hurriedly ran back to get her.

“BUCK LEAVE HER!” Clint yelled.

“GO! JUST GO! I’LL BE ALRIGHT” Bucky responded without looking back.

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU!”

“GET HER TO THE QUINJET! IF I’M NOT OUT BY THEN, COME BACK FOR ME”

Clint looked down at the kid in his arms then groaned in frustration. Why did Bucky have to be so stubborn? He ran as fast as he could to join the other Avengers ushering out of the building along with other Hydra agents.

“Clint!” Ironman called out and Clint shoved Brooklyn into his arms.

“Get her to the jet! I’m going back for Bucky” Clint hastily said. He turned around to run back into the building but Tony pulled him back.

“No! That building’s about to collapse, Clint!”

“BUCKY’S-“

“Are you stupid, Barton? You’re not a super soldier! You get crushed under that, there’s no recovering”

“I gotta go back for Bucky!” Clint angrily spat then moved to go back inside the building. Just as he got to the door, the building caved in. He couldn’t move. He just stood there completely stunned by what just happened.

Bucky was still in that building.

“No. Fuck. No  no no no” Clint repeatedly mumbled. He clawed at the door and tried to get through the rubble. A pair of strong hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. He expectantly looked up but only saw Steve looking worriedly at him.

“Clint, stop! What’s wrong?” the man asked him.

Clint gritted his teeth, “Bucky went back after Paige” He has never seen colour drain so quickly from someone’s face. Steve’s eyes filled with horror and his jaw tightened. “Get to the jet. Brooklyn would want to wake up to a familiar face”

“But Bu-“

“Go” Steve’s authoritative tone was final. Clint stood straight and looked him dead in the eye, ready to retort. Then he realized that Steve was just as upset as he was and a screaming match between them wouldn’t make finding Bucky any easier.

Clint went back into the jet to see Natasha stroking the hair of Brooklyn sleeping on the bed. The real Dr. Paige was leaning on the wall of the jet, her eyes closed, and her face scrunched.

Tony passed by him and went straight to help Steve look for both Bucky and Hydra’s Paige.

Sitting on the other side of Brooklyn, Clint tightened his fists and bowed his head. “Your poppa better be fine or I’ll beat him up myself”

After a few minutes, the quinjet’s door began to close and Clint immediately got up, “They’re still out there!” he announced.

Natasha who was sitting on the pilot’s seat didn’t even look at him, “Calm down Clint. Tony told me to go ahead. We need to bring Dr. Paige to medical” she replied.

“We can’t leave yet, Nat!” Clint walked towards the chair and grabbed the backrest, “there’s no way I’m leaving them here!”

“Will you just breathe for a moment Clint? Paige needs help and you know Brooklyn will freak once she wakes up. Just... relax. Barnes will be fine. He’d prefer you take care of his little girl than carelessly look for him”

Clint let out a breath and slumped against the seat. “I’m sorry” he mumbled.

“Go sit down. Things will be okay”

\---

They were all in medical a couple hours later when they heard a commotion towards the emergency room. Clint immediately got up from his seat and went to see if it was who he thought it was.

It was a little difficult to tell due to the nurses surrounding the patient but seeing Cap following the crowd assured Clint that it was definitely who he hoped it was. He felt relieved that they found him but the worry on Steve’s face made him feel anxious as well.

“Told you they’ll find him”, Natasha subtly waved thanks to the nurse fixing her up before going to stand beside Clint at the door.

“Yeah...” Clint sighed then went to sit at the edge of Brooklyn’s bed. The little girl stirred and Clint was quickly on her side. Brooklyn blinked before sitting up and whipping her head left to right, completely scared. “Poppa” she breathed out.

“He’s in the emergency room” he spoke, with both his hands and his voice. She bowed her head and grasped the sheets. “He’s going to be alright” he tried to tell her but she only moved away from his touch.

Clint left the room to greet Steve and Tony. Both men were sitting on the bench in front of the emergency room.

“How’s Barnes?” he said as he sat across them.

Tony turned didn’t raise his head to look at him, “found him under rubble... it wasn’t pretty”

“Paige?”

“We found her first. There’s no way she could’ve survived that. Checked and scanned, she was definitely gone”

Clint clasped his hands together and hung his head. He really should’ve stopped Bucky from going back in.

Tony was staring at him now, “how’s the girl?”

“She woke up a while ago, looked for him. She’s not talking or signing. Didn’t want me to touch her either”

“We’re back to square one with her...”

“looks like it. At least she’s not hostile. I better go and check up on her”

“We’ll be right here” Tony mumbled.

As he walked away, Clint saw Steve smile sadly as Tony kissed the top of his head.

\---

The day dragged on too slow for everyone waiting on Bucky.  Steve’s fallen asleep on the bench with his head on Tony’s shoulder, Natasha would wander out for while they come back to the room right after, Clint would occasionally  take out his hearing aids to drown out the sound of the ticking clock, and Brooklyn remained quietly seated on the bed.

After refusing to talk or eat, Brooklyn went back to sleep.

“Go home, Nat. I’ll watch over her. We can switch in the morning” Clint said when he saw Natasha nodding off on the bench near the door.

“You sure” she asked as she got up and stretched, obviously not caring about what his answer was actually going to be.

“Yeah, good night”

Natasha gave him a kiss on the cheek then left the room. Clint took her place on the bench and watched Brooklyn as she slept.

He didn’t know whether he should be thankful or worried that she wasn’t fighting. When they first got her, she was blatant about what she didn’t like. But now, aside from her flinching every time someone went near her, she was unresponsive.

“I don’t know what to do” he hung his head and clutched his hair. “This is all my fault and I need to fix it. I have to fix it”

Just then Brooklyn jerked and Clint went to her. She started tossing in her sleep and screaming quietly. Clint grabbed her shoulder and shook her. “wake up! It’s just a dream. You’re okay” he said repeatedly. When Brooklyn opened her eyes, she burst into tears. She let Clint pull her into his chest. He patted her back as she calmed down and kept whispering that she’d be okay just like when they first stayed in his apartment.

Once her breathing returned to normal, Clint looked down at the little girl in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Are you hungry?”

The gesture was small but Clint could tell it was a nod.

He pulled the cart closer to the bed and grabbed the box of cookies the nurse brought in earlier. He took one and placed it in her hand. “Do you want something else?”

She shook her head and took a small bite before throwing it away.

“Nothing like Sam’s cookies, huh?”

Brooklyn shook her head then gripped Clint’s shirt. “Stay?” she softly uttered.

“I’m not going anywhere, kiddo” he told her as he let her lie down and placed the blanket over her. He moved over to lie on his side, facing her and the door. He didn’t expect her to snuggle into his chest and tighten her hold on his shirt. Suddenly, she was holding her breath and keeping her soft sobs in.

“Hey” he gently spoke as he patted her back again and held her close to him. Soon enough, she had fallen asleep again.

The door creaked open and Tony stepped into the room. Clint raised a finger to his lips then pointed to the child sleeping beside him.

“Barnes is finally out of the emergency room. Steve’s staying with him tonight, they’re at 211. I’m heading back to get a change of clothes. Do you need anything?” he whispered.

Clint shook his head and Tony left. Clint removed his hearing aids and placed them on the bedside drawer. He then closed his eyes and allowed himself to give in to his exhaustion

.

For days, Clint stayed in SHIELD’s medical because Brooklyn refused to leave the room and Bucky still hasn’t woken up. He didn’t mind moving between the two rooms. He knew going home would only make him guiltier.

 

One morning, he woke up to Natasha flipping through a magazine. He reached over to the bedside drawer to grab his hearing aids. Remembering that Brooklyn’s sleeping right next to him, he carefully moved to sit up.

Once he’s settled the aids in his ears, he very slowly moved out of Brooklyn’s grasp and dropped his feet to the floor. “How long have you been there?” he spoke just a bit above a whisper.

“About four hours...” Natasha replied just as loudly, “got you another change of clothes and brought her something too”. She pulled out Buckybear from the bag and threw it towards him.

“Thanks” he said.

“Go see your boyfriend. I can watch over her for a while”

“He’s not my boyfriend...”

“Sure he isn’t. Just go before I push you. Besides, Tony’s getting really mopey at the tower coz Cap refuses to leave the hospital for too long”

“Whatever” Clint uttered as he went stepped inside the restroom.

After cleaning up, he went straight to Bucky’s room to find Tony scowling outside the door.

“Still won’t leave, huh?” Clint greeted him.

Tony uncrossed his arms and placed his hands in his jacket pockets. “He hasn’t eaten since yesterday, won’t let me take him home... Doesn’t he see that he can’t fit on that bench thing? I’m not THIS stubborn, am I?” he said.

Clint raised an eyebrow, “do you really want me to answer that?” he said before pushing the door open and stepping into the room.

Steve was asleep, sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed with his feet propped up near Bucky. Clint sat beside his feet and gently patted him until Steve woke up.

“Hey Cap. Shift’s over, time to go home. Tony misses you” he greeted.

Tony frowned and crossed his arms over his chest again.

“What if he wakes up?”

“I’ll call you immediately”

Steve looked at him disbelievingly and Clint straightened up. “Scouts honor, Cap. Are you seriously doubting me? Don’t answer that”

“Make sure you do”

“Of course. Now go to your worrywart of a husband”

Steve looked back and smiled tiredly at Tony. Tony heaved out a sigh in return. He then grabbed Steve’s hand and ushered him out. Before he stepped out of the door, he mouthed a thanks to Clint.

\---

Once he was sure that they’ve left, Clint sat back on the edge of Bucky’s bed and tucked a stray hair away from the sleeping man’s face.

“See what you’ve done to him. Tony, of all people, has to remind him to sleep, eat, and shower. Tables have turned”, Clint dropped his gaze from Bucky’s face to the phone on the bedside table. “He needs you, you know. He wouldn’t have gone against the whole government for you if he didn’t. Your daughter needs you too. She hasn’t spoken to anyone or signed to anyone since we got her back from Hydra. I think she’s convinced that she hurt you. You have to prove to her that she didn’t. She needs you even if she doesn’t even know it.” 

Clint ran his hands on the sheets of the bed and stared at Bucky’s hand, “The team needs you. Natasha won’t admit it but she wouldn’t offer to watch Brooklyn if she didn’t care...”

He finally took Bucky’s hand in his and rubbed his thumb against his skin. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. If I didn’t bring home that stupid hearing aid, they wouldn’t have found you and...  this is all my fault. People I care about always get hurt because of me. Always. I’m sorry I put you in this position too. I’ll leave. I’ll go. Just please wake up”. Slowly, the hand he was holding tightened around his.

“Don’t you dare go” Bucky’s rough voice startled Clint. He looked up at the other man.

“You’re awake” Clint smiled. Feelings welled in his chest.

Bucky smiled back at him. “How’s Brooklyn?” he strained as he tried to sit up.

Clint held him down, “she’s... she’s not great but she’s okay. W-wait here, I need to call the doctor- and Cap”. He got up but Bucky pulled his hand, stopping him.

“Can’t that wait? Just a little longer” Bucky voiced out, almost pleading.

“Why? You’re going to do something sappy aren’t you? Like tell me you love me” Clint joked. Bucky didn’t laugh, though, he just stared at Clint.

“It’s not your fault. None of it is” Bucky was able to say before his words got caught in a coughing fit. Clint pulled his hand from Bucky’s hold to pour him a glass of water.

He helped Bucky sit up and waited for him to finish the drink. “that’s not going to convince me, you know”

“Doesn’t make it any less true”

Clint got up again and left the room. He proceeded to the nurse’s station.  “Hey could I borrow your phone?” The nurse looked up at him and recognition fell on her face.

“By all means, Agent Barton” she said as she handed him the cordless phone, “shall I ring up the doctor as well?”

“Yeah, tell her Barnes is awake”

“Yes, sir”

Clint punched in the Avenger’s tower’s number and in a few rings, someone answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey Sam. How’s Cap doing?”

“Clint? He and Tony arrived a while ago...”

There was a moment of silence on the other end; Clint assumed the guy was actually talking to the AI.

When he came back, there was a hint of melancholy in his usually monotonous voice. “According to Tony, Steve just fell asleep. Said it’d be better to let him sleep for a few hours. How’s Barnes?”

“He’s awake. Asking about Brooklyn...”

Sam’s voice was distant from the phone all of a sudden, “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?!” Then his attention went back to him when he said, “Cap just stormed out”

“Can’t say I didn’t see that coming. Thanks, Sam”

Clint went back to Bucky’s room and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to remove the wires connected to his body.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he exclaimed.

Bucky looked at him briefly before standing up, “I have to see Brooklyn”

Clint rushed towards him and placed his hands on Bucky’s shoulder. He gently pushed him back till he was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed again. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll deal with her until you’re better”

“I’m fine!” Bucky tried to get up and push Clint away but a stinging pain on his side made him sit back down.

“yeah, sure you are,” Clint mumbled as he helped Bucky lie back down, “Cap’s on his way here. I’ll go talk to Brooklyn and try to get her here. Okay?”

“Fine. And I mean it Clint”

“Yeah, she’ll be here. Don’t worry about it”

“What I said earlier. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah yeah”

“I’ll hate you if you left”

“course you will”

“I’m not kidding”

“Mhm”

“I need you”

Clint opened his mouth to respond but the sound of the door opening hindered him.

“I’m fine, no need to be a drama queen” Bucky mumbled as Steve stepped inside.

Steve chuckled as he leaned on the door frame, “tell me Clint, did Bucky attempt to leave the hospital room when he woke up?”

“Sir, yes, sir” Clint grinned.

Bucky rolled his eyes at them, “yeah be a tattle tale Barton”

“I’m gonna leave you to your scolding now, Barnes” Clint replied then walked out, “see you Cap”. He looked back through the room window and saw Steve stand with his hands akimbo on the side of the bed. A small laugh escaped him and for the first time since they left that Hydra base, he felt better.

He entered Brooklyn’s room with a smile. He saw that the little girl was already up, Buckybear in her arms as Natasha urged her to eat. But the girl still wasn’t responding to anyone but Clint.

Brooklyn looked up at him as he got in.

“Hey, there’s someone looking for you. I know you’d want to see him” he told her as he sat beside Nat.

“He’s awake?” Nat asked. Clint nodded.

For the duration of their stay, they avoided bringing Brooklyn to Bucky’s hospital room fearing that she’d think she really hurt him. But now that he’s awake Clint thought maybe it’ll help her go back to normal.

Clint extended his hand for her to hold but she raised both her arms, asking him to carry her. He picked her up and brought her to the door. Suddenly she shook her head and started saying no. Natasha stood behind them ready to act as back up but Clint gave her a look to say _relax._

“Hey, Brooklyn. Hey. Look at me” he told her, “you’ve got Buckybear with you now to keep you safe. Okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of”. She held the bear tighter in her arms. “Can we go now? I promise you’d love it!” he told her. She bowed her head and lightly nodded.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and Clint grinned as he shrugged his shoulders.

They went to Bucky’s room and as soon as Bucky was in sight, Brooklyn wiggled out of Clint’s hold and ran to him.

“Hey baby doll” Bucky greeted her as she jumped onto the bed to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and dug his face in her hair. “I missed you so much” he said only loud enough for her to hear.

“I’m sorry Poppa. I’m sorry”, Brooklyn started crying into his chest.

He rubbed her back and kissed her hair, “It’s okay, Brooklyn, you did nothing wrong”

“You told me not to hurt. I hurt you. I’m sorry”

“Enough. None of it is your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. Remember that, Brooklyn. You didn’t do anything wrong” he told her. He then gently pulled her away from him and wiped her tears. “Don’t cry anymore, sweetie. Have you eaten?”

Clint leaned on the door and crossed his arms, “she won’t eat”

Bucky looked down at her, “well... then. The nurse just brought me more than enough” he said as he pulled the over-the-table tray towards him and opened the lunch tray they brought in. Brooklyn settled beside him and waited for Bucky to take a spoonful.

Steve smiled as he settled down on the bench. “I had nothing to worry about” he voiced out.

Bucky smirked at him before feeding Brooklyn.

 “I guess it’s okay for me to go home and sleep now...” he spoke again as he stood up.

“I’m coming with you” Natasha replied.

“I’ll hang around for a bit” Clint answered.

“Bye Buck, bye Brook” Steve waved. The father and daughter waved back at him. Natasha waved them goodbye too as Clint settled on the bench.

“What are you doing over there?” Bucky called out, “there’s plenty of room on this bed, Clint”

A smile settled on his lips as he moved to sit beside them.

“Thank you” Bucky said to him, “I know you took care of her”

“I needed to. It was my fault after all-“

“No. None of that. If you dare disappear on me, I swear, I will hunt you down Barton. I know where you live”

Clint rolled his eyes at him then patted Brooklyn’s hair. “You’ve got a real fighter there. Didn’t Paige say she’ll forget you due to the wipe”

“She was probably just playing me”

“Or it’s father’s love that broke the curse?”

“Shut up”.

Bucky took a spoonful of the mashed potato then handed the bowl and a fork to Brooklyn. He then grabbed the remote and flipped the channels till he found some cartoon on.

“so what now?” Clint asked him.

“I think I’m done with avenging. I’d move back into the building and continue working at Mr. Harrison’s repair shop, ” Bucky spoke while he ate.

“Are you sure? Hydra knows where you live now”

“Clint, we live either there or in a huge tower in the middle of the city with a big A on it. Hydra will find us if they want to, doesn’t matter where we are. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony already installed some kind of security tech in your building”

“You do have a point...”

“And being away from them makes it easier to focus on us”

Clint had his full attention on Bucky now, “us?”

“Poppa! Look it’s Scooby!” Brooklyn suddenly exclaimed. Clint let out a breath as he turned to the TV too.

The nurse knocked at the door and Clint immediately transferred to the bench.

"Agent Barnes, Agent Barton" she greeted.

"Hey. The doctor was in here earlier, she didn't say much just checked a couple stuff. Is it okay to go home?" Bucky replied.

The nurse chuckled as she checked the machines and scribbled on her clipboard, "I will inform you once I get a go signal from the doctor"

 ---

A few visits from the nurses later, they confirmed that Bucky was safe to go home in two days.

Bucky settled back into his pillow then covered Brooklyn with his blanket as she snuggled Buckybear beside her.

“Clint” he suddenly said.

Clint looked over to him from the bench he was lying on. “What?”

Bucky swung his feet over the edge of the bed and motioned for Clint to come closer.

“You were perfectly capable of getting up earlier, why do you need me now?” Clint grumbled as he walked towards him.

“Don’t be a dick and just come here”

“Fine!”

As soon as Clint was within Bucky’s reach, Bucky grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down. Their lips touched lightly. “Thank you” Bucky mumbled against his lips, “for everything”. He then joined their lips again. “Don’t ever leave, please”

Clint raised his hands to hold Bucky’s face and deepen the kiss.

Running out of breath, Clint moved back a little then leaned his forehead on Bucky’s. Sincere satisfied smiles marked both their faces. “I’m not going anywhere” Clint mumbled.

 

 

* * *

 

Bucky took a swig of his beer as he flipped the stake on the grill. He looked up and observed the people around him: The Avengers were there interacting with the tenants, Mr. Harrison looked awfully happy as he talked to Tony, and Brooklyn was pointing to the sky as Timmy signed to her.

Suddenly Clint appeared beside him, “Hey” he greeted. Bucky placed the tongs down and placed an arm around Clint’s waist then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ew. When did we become that kind of couple?” Clint joked as he leaned closer to him.

“I think somewhere between, picking which apartment to move into and letting my kid call you dad”

“makes sense”

 

There they were, a year later, on the roof of their apartment building, being the most normal they could possibly be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it folks.  
> I'm extremely grateful for the hits, the kudos, and the comments! This is the first long multi-chaptered fic I've written and I'm really really happy that some of you enjoyed it! Thank you again!


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